Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is to Finland what Picasso is to Spain or James Joyce to Ireland. The architect designed and built buildings, light fittings, tableware and furniture - creations that now symbolise the land of 180,000 lakes. Above all, he made the curve his signature style, drawing inspiration from nature, playing with the low-angled light of the midnight sun, and celebrating the snow and birch forests. Born at a time when eclecticism reigned supreme, over the years he explored a range of styles, from national romanticism to hard-line modernism, before softening his approach by embracing humanism. Alvar Aalto: architecture re-enchanted. As its name implies, La biblioth?que de l'Amateur is an art lover's library, retracing the creative history of the 20th century in the fields of architecture, design and the decorative arts.