Alvar Aalto Tank Chair Model 400 by Artek Finland Circa 1940

Alvar Aalto Tank Chair Model 400 by Artek Finland Circa 1940

A rare early twentieth century 'Tank' Model 400 armchair, designed by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by O.y. Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas A.b., Turku, for Artek, Finland Circa 1940, the laminated bent birch frame with its original burnt orange zigzag fabric to seat and back, the underside of leg impressed with the number105. As beautiful as it is 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, this early example is quite unique in the fact that it remains untouched and in original condition, it can be reupholstered in a fabric of your choice by us or left as is, we would leave it exactly as it is.

Alvar Aalto Finnish  1898-1976
Biography
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.