Alvar Aalto: The Early Years

This is the first volume in a planned three-part work that will cover the life and career of the major Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. When completed, it will make a major contribution to the literature of twentieth century architecture, and will be the definitive study of one of the master architects and designers of modern times. Aalto is celebrated for his vitally contemporary manipulation of form and volume tempered by the interplay of textures achieved through the use of stone, wood, metal and glass. Although the majority of his buildings are in Scandinavia and Fin-land, Aalto is also represented in the United States, Germany, Italy, and other countries. His Finnish Pavilion for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair is still celebrated as an epochal design. The author's thirty-year acquaintanceship with Aalto, his access to rare and unique archival and documentary mate-rial, and his ability to communicate to the reader the essence of Aalto as a man and as an architectural innovator, make this an invaluable study. The many illustrations, include personal photographs, plans, sketches and renderings, watercolors and oil paintings. Extra dimension is added by the inclusion of twenty-three of the early writings by Aalto, which appear in book form for the first time. The author, Göran Schildt, is the leading authority on the life and work of Aalto. He has lectured and written extensively on the late architect and has been accorded complete access to his archives by Aalto's heirs.