Alvar Aalto’s “Paimio” chair: a chair with just the essential parts

Alvar Aalto (Finnish, 1898-1976)
“Paimio” chair, c. 1932
Laminated birch, bent plywood
Collection of the Minneapolis Art Institute

The following information is taken from the MIA exhibition label:

“A Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto is best known today for his furniture design. This chair, one of his earliest designs, was made for the Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium in southwest Finland, constructed between 1929 and 1937. Using laminated birch, a material previously used only in the construction of skis, Aalto produced a chair that was extremely strong, comfortable and attractive, and could be cheaply and easily manufactured.”