Aalto, Alvar (1898-1976)
31 Armchair
1931–1932
Laminated and painted birch plywood and bentwood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Aalto created this lightweight, economical, and comfortable chair by suspending a scrolled seating panel between two U-shaped wood frames. It is built as a free cantilever, which allows the chair to be supported without back legs, a principle previously applied only to metal furniture. The piece is composed of laminated plywood, a material as strong as bent tubular steel but warmer and more textured. Flowing organic contours accentuate the chair’s appeal to a prospective sitter. (MET)