Pair of Early Alvar Aalto Tank Chairs Model 400 by Artek Finland Circa 1940



Pair of Early Alvar Aalto Tank Chairs Model 400 by Artek Finland Circa 1940



Magnificent and rare pair of early twentieth century 'Tank' Model 400 armchairs, designed by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by O.y. Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas A.b., Turku, for Artek, Finland Circa 1940, the laminated bent birch frames with original petrol blue velvet fabric to seat and back,  as beautiful as they are comfortable, the Model 400 was created by Alvar Aalto in 1936 for an exhibition at the Milan Triennale, where it was promptly awarded a prize.

The chair owes its nickname “Tank” to its distinctive wide and sturdy armrests made of form-bent birch lamella and to its robust upholstery. The springy cantilevered frame offers a flexible, comfortable seat. A favourite since the 1930s, these early examples are quite unique in the fact that they remain untouched and in original condition, although the fabric is tired its perfectly useable and the chairs show great patina, the chairs can be upholstered but our choice would be to leave them exactly as they are, reserve now.




Biography Alvar Aalto Finnish  1898-1976

In contrast with the functionalism of the International Style (as well the neoclassicism put forward by the Nazi and Soviet regimes), Alvar Aalto brought a refreshing breath of humanism to modern design: "True architecture exists only where man stands in the centre," he wrote. Aalto designed furniture in stack-laminated plywood composed of Finnish birch, which was cost-effective and lent warmth to his interiors. Aalto also revived Finnish glass design with his entries in the various Karhula-Iitala glassworks competitions throughout the 1930s.
In 1936 he won first place for a collection of colourful, wavy vases in various sizes titled Eskimoerindens skinnbuxa (The Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches).

The vases were an immediate success and the most popular size, now known as the "Savoy" vase, is still in production today. Aalto's freeform designs, in harmony with human needs and nature, anticipated the organic modernism of the 1950s and 1960s; in particular, his innovations in bent plywood had a major impact on designers such as Charles and Ray Eames.

Provenance: Private London collection