Bukowskis presents two high back armchairs by Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
High Back 12
In 1931-32, Alvar Aalto designed a series of plywood chairs and a side table that was presented at the Nordic Building Days in Helsinki in 1932. This series included Aalto’s iconic sprung armchairs, including model no 13, a ‘high back 12’ chair and armchair no 41, known today as the ‘Paimio chair’.
All of the furniture presented at the Building Days was put into use in the Paimio Sanatorium, except models 12 and 13. However, the sanatorium’s medical superintendent used a prototype of the ‘high back 12’ armchair. (Männistö, Aalto Design Collection, s 42.)
Aalto’s rare ‘high back 12’ armchairs were only produced between 1932-34. The construction required a particular mould to make the seat, as it had to be bent in several directions. Because of the challenging production method, the chair was produced in a significantly smaller number than the other models mentioned above. Today, only a few of them have been recovered.
Bukowskis is pleased to present two rare ‘high back 12’ armchairs at our Design Sale Helsinki auction, October 19-30.
