Alvar Aalto's Influence and Reputation in Great Britain

Harry worked in Aalto's office in Helsinki before graduating from Cambridge University. He practiced and taught in Newcastle prior to returning to Helsinki. He is now Professor and Dean at Westminster University's School of Architecture. Throughout his career Aalto has been his greatest influence. This talk results from research work prepared for an exhibition at Artek in New York.

Before World War II the UK was the biggest market for Aalto's furniture. It was specified by everyone from Lubetkin to Yorke and sold through Heal's. The lecture will reveal the myriad connections between British and continental modernists, and the beginning of Aalto's reputation in the UK.