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Artek
Artek – Art and Technology Since 1935
Artek is a sales and propaganda center for the new housing ideology.
- Nils-Gustav Hahl, 1935
Artek was founded in 1935 by four young idealists: Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl. The business idea of the company was "to sell furniture and to promote modern culture of habitation by exhibitions and other means." The founders of Artek advocated a new kind of environment for everyday life. They believed in a grand synthesis of the arts and wanted to make a difference in town planning as well as architecture and design.
Today Artek is renowned as being one of the most innovative contributors to modern design, building on the heritage of Alvar Aalto. Functionality and timeless aesthetics are the essential elements in the creation of every product that bears the Artek name. Artek’s comprehensive furniture system is based on the original idea of standards and systems, which has its origin from Alvar Aalto’s L-system. The standard and system thinking makes the furniture range versatile and allows it to be customised for individual projects. Artek’s furniture can be found in various types of spaces; from public spaces to homes, museums to schools and hotels to offices.
Artek is headquartered in Finland and is owned by the privately held investment company Proventus AB, based in Sweden. Artek has five stores in Finland; two in Helsinki, one store in Espoo and in Turku, as well as a museum shop in connection to the Alvar Aalto Museum in Jyväskylä.
Artek maintains close relations with the family of Alvar and Aino Aalto as well as the Alvar Aalto Foundation. The exchange of knowhow is valuable for all the concerned parties.
While valuing traditions Artek has at the same time entered a new era. Combining the ideology of the radical founders and a contemporary and dynamic approach to product development, the company is more art and tech than ever.
ARTEK's Visionary Founders
Alvar Aalto was a highly talented architect and an eager spokesman for the international modernist movement, which he used as an inspiration to create his own unique style. Aalto was innovative and radical and became known for his experimental approach to bending wood. His style became known as human modernism. Alvar Aalto’s dialogue with nature, architecture, design and the human being has become a living legacy.
Aino Aalto was a down-to-earth rationalist with a strong sense of style, colour and a sharp eye for quality. Aino’s straightforward approach and interest in “simplifying the everyday life” helped to keep Alvar’s sometimes high-flying plans in touch with reality. Aino had a strong, independent input for Artek: she designed some of the classics that are still in production today and also held the role of Managing Director.
Nils-Gustav Hahl, an art-historian and a writer, played a crucial role in the history of Artek, as it was he who brought Maire Gullichsen and the Aaltos together. Hahl was a polyglot cosmopolitan with an extensive international network. Hahl was very active in the art circles and he was genuinely interested in trends regarding art, technology and the new social awakening. Hahl became the first Managing Director of Artek.
Maire Gullichsen, an art lover trained in Paris, was an early believer in Aalto’s talent. Maire Gullichsen became friends with a core group of young artists and intellectuals in the early 1930’s Helsinki who were all firm defenders of modernism. She rapidly assimilated the new ideas and began improving the world with the help of art. From the very beginning, Artek has been strongly involved in cultural life. Under Maire's direction, Artek organised many exhibitions by world famous artists such as Picasso, Léger and Calder.
The worldview of Artek has been moulded by strong and talented people whose ideologies and radicalism is today more vibrant than ever. The founders created an accessible, humane and at the time very experimental style in modern interior decoration, much of its inspiration stemming from nature. The experience accumulated over 70 years and the continuity of traditional methods of production ensures that Aalto products will age in style and last from one generation to the next.
1928-33
PAIMIO TUBERCULOSIS SANATORIUM
Paimio, Finland. Architect: Alvar Aalto
The Paimio Sanatorium is considered Aalto's most significant early building. As well as establishing his international reputation, it was also the catalyst for his uniquely humanist interpretation of Modernism.1933
BENT L-LEG
Solid wood leg, bent 90°, with bent part laminated. Patented in 1933.
1933-35
VIIPURI MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
Viipuri, Russioa (formerly Finland). Architect: Alvar Aalto
The Viipuri library is considered one of Aalto's most important and beautiful buildings where the pure white functionalist style contrasts with the warmth of the wood interior. It is also the first project where Aalto extensively employed a furnishing system based on a standard component, the bent wooden L-Leg.
1935
ARTEK FOUNDED BY ALVAR AND AINO AALTO, NILS-GUSTAV HAHL AND MAIRE GULLICHSEN
1937
WORLD EXHIBITION IN PARIS
Finnish Pavilion by Aino and Alvar Aalto
International launch of the L-leg.
1937
RESTAURANT SAVOY HELSINKI
Luxurious restaurant interior design by Aino Aalto, custom furniture by Artek. This restaurant still exists and remains one of Helsinki's finest restaurants.
1938
EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY ARTEK IN KUNSTHALLE HELSINKI
The exhibition featured work by Matisse, Braque, Derain, Picasso, Rouault, Léger, Utrillo, Masson, Bonnard, Vuillard and Marie Laurencin, among others. The exhibition was the art sensation of the decade in Helsinki.
1938-39
VILLA MAIREA
Noormarkku, Finland. Architect: Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea is a private residence designed by Alvar Aalto for Maire and Harry Gullichsen. Although Villa Mairea is extremely luxurious, Aalto also considered it an experimental building where he could try out design solutions and materials which were applied to later buildings.1939
WORLD EXHIBITION IN NEW YORK
Finnish Pavilion by Aino and Alvar Aalto
1940
AINO AALTO BECOMES CEO OF ARTEK
1946
LAUNCH OF Y-LEG
A leg with two 90° bends, originally made from an Aalto L-leg sawn in two. Nowadays the Y-leg is made from a laminated bend. Used in different sizes in chairs and tables.
1950
MAIRE GULLICHSEN BECOMES CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF ARTEK. OPENING OF GALERIE ARTEK.
1954
LAUNCH OF X-LEG
Fan-shaped leg made from sawing an Aalto L-leg into five parts. Nowadays the X-leg is made from a laminated bend. The legs are dowelled into the seat or the table-top.
1956-61
MAISON LOUIS CARRÉ
Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France. Architect: Alvar Aalto
1976-2004
BEN AF SCHULTÉN AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF ARTEK
1992
PROVENTUS, A SWEDISH INVESTMENT COMPANY, ACQUIRES ARTEK
2004
TOM DIXON STARTS AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR
2005
MIRKKU KULLBERG STARTS AS MANAGING DIRECTOR
2007
ARTEK PAVILION
designed by Shigeru Ban
Pavilions made for international exhibitions on design and architecture are an integral part of Artek's identity and ideology. The Artek Pavilion, “the Space of Silence”, was designed by Shigeru Ban for installation at the 2007 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. After Milan, the pavilion has also been erected in Helsinki, in the area between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum. December of 2007, the pavilion was reconstructed at Design Miami.
The Artek Manifest
The far-sighted founders of Artek believed in a grand synthesis of the arts. They wanted to bring about improvements in everyday urban life as well as in architecture and design. When the company was founded in 1935, an Artek Manifest was drawn up, inspired by functionalism. The vision was to interconnect modern visual arts, rational furniture production and popular education. These goals and values are still very much part of Artek today.
The roots of Artek are in the international community whose membership consisted of architects, designers, theorists, artists and connoisseurs. Aalto’s achievements enjoyed high regard among these modernists. Along with Marcel Breuer, Aalto was the preferred furniture designer in the group, just as Léger and Picasso enjoyed a privileged status in the visual arts. Hence all of the four Artek founders were received into this historical inner circle and they were all extremely well-connected.
Artek has always had an important role as an opinion leader, the company has a long history of actively taking part in the cultural context. The courage to question old patterns and truisms, being socially aware as well as upholding a certain idealism, is descriptive of Artek.
Organising exhibitions has always been part of Artek’s activity. Still today, the link to the art world is very important. Artek has a habit of organizing four to five exhibitions per year, in collaboration with students from the art, design and architectural fields as well as international designers and architects.
The Manifest remains an important source of inspiration, an ideological statement and a key-document in defining the sprit of Artek. It keeps on challenging Artek as a company, especially now when consuming is feral and fast. In the spirit of its founders, Artek is investing in material research, in the development of systems and standards, and in sustainable design. Aesthetics, ethics and ecology are in the DNA of Artek.
Artek's original values - long-term durability and high quality combined with a clean form language - are still the company's driving forces. Artek's most essential products are the furniture designed by Aalto. The company carries on the Aalto tradition and spirit by renewing and re-issuing the designs that outlasts its original owners.
Human modernism
Natural materials and the humane approach are as relevant today as they were in the era of modernism. Artek's design philosophy brings a human perspective to modernism. The furniture is made with the ambition to support and nourish human beings’ physical and psychological wellbeing. By blending functionalism with form and sculptural simplicity with the emotional warmth of wood, Artek's furniture harmonises with architecture.
Innovative Design
Artek's iconic status is founded on innovative design thanks to its founder, Alvar Aalto, who invented new methods for bending and splicing wood to enable the execution of the revolutionary structural ideas and fluid organic forms of his most dynamic designs. Artek's core collection, the Alvar Aalto collection, is a comprehensive furniture system that can be used in all kinds of situations from public spaces to offices, museums to schools, hotels to homes. The versatility of this collection allows Artek to customise furniture for individual projects.
In order to achieve sustainable products, the product development process must be allowed to take time. In a time when many companies rush in their product development and manufacturing, Artek remains steadfast in its dedication to allow time for the experimenting and testing of new ideas.
Quality
Artek's reputation is founded on a commitment to quality and continuity. Modern techniques combined with traditional craftsmanship ensure the quality of each piece of furniture. Concrete examples of the longevity of Artek furnishings are the "2nd Cycle" stools and chairs. The 2nd Cycle collection was introduced in the spring of 2007 during the Milan International Furniture Fair, as a statement of conscious consumption. A coded RFID tag embedded in the 2nd Cycle stool records the furniture’s history, stories, as well as information about its origins and authenticity. Few furniture items have achieved such a long and multi-phased life span: Artek’s furnishings have touched the lives of children, students, the elderly – all members of the family, together and separately. These 2nd Cycle items are part of Artek's environmental strategy and are a proof of authenticity, longevity and the graceful aging process of an original Artek product.
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