Artek

Heritage

Artek was founded in Helsinki in December 1935 by four young idealists: architects Alvar and Aino Aalto, visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl. Their goal was "to sell furniture and to promote a modern culture of living by exhibitions and other educational means." The first Artek store opened in Helsinki in 1936, and the company also staged exhibitions — among them Fernand Léger and Alexander Calder in 1937.

Philosophy

The name is a synthesis of "art" and "technology", echoing Walter Gropius's modernist motto "art and technology – a new unity." Artek's collection of furniture, lighting and accessories by Finnish masters and international designers stands for clarity, functionality and poetic simplicity. Production follows Aalto's vision of combining modern methods with skilled handcraft and carefully selected, mostly Finnish birch.

Iconic Works

The original aim was to promote and produce the furniture and glassware of Alvar and Aino Aalto. Signature pieces include the Paimio Chair for the Paimio Sanatorium, Stool 60 (1933) — one of Artek's most popular items, with more than one and a half million Aalto stools sold since 1935 — and the Aalto pendant lights. Later the collection grew to include Finnish designers such as Ilmari Tapiovaara (Pirkka Stool, 1955), Juha Leiviskä and Eero Aarnio, and international names including the Bouroullec brothers.

Today

All bentwood Artek furniture is made at the a-factory in Turku, Finland, which holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, with wood-based materials FSC and/or PEFC certified. Artek is owned by Vitra, runs stores in Helsinki and Tokyo, and since 2006 has collected and resold vintage pieces through Artek 2nd Cycle.