“Beauty is harmony of function and form” maintained Alvar Aalto, undisputed great master of modern architecture. A principle scrupulously respected in the various building types that the Finnish architect found himself dealing with over the course of his long career. From public architecture – theatres, churches, libraries and universities – the most famous, to private commissions, perhaps lesser known but in no way less interesting.

To these, a small exhibition in Paris has been dedicated, set up by the Finnish Institute and organised in collaboration with the Alvar Aalto museum in Finland.

The exhibition includes a selection of seven houses presented with photographs, models and furniture. The accent is naturally placed on the human dimension of the spaces created by Aalto over almost fifty years (from 1924 to 1972). This along with a careful use of natural light (“a window without shutters is like an eye without an eyelid” he maintained) and on the inevitable relationship with the natural surroundings.

25.9.2003 - 25.10.2003
Les maisons d’Alvar Aalto
Institut finlandais à Paris
60, rue des Écoles, Paris
T +33-1-40518909
https://pariisi.lasipalatsi.net