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ALVAR AALTO AND
THE FINNISH PAVILION
FINNISH PAVILION
New York World’s Fair
Flushing, New York, USA
Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), Architect
Helsinki, Finland
1939
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (1898–1976) was one
of the most influential modernist architects and
designers of the twentieth century, especially
for what has come to be identified as “Nor-
dic modernism.” During his career, he gained
worldwide recognition for his modern yet
humanistic buildings, his furniture that resulted
from experiments with molded plywood bent
into two-dimensional curves, his organic glass
designs, and his textiles.
He was born in Kuortane, Finland, and com-
pleted his basic ...