Finnish designer Eero Aarnio , born in 1932, studied at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki from 1954 to 1957, and opened his own design studio in 1962 industrial and interior design.
Eero Aarnio is one of the most celebrated furniture designers of the twentieth century. He creates projects characterized by a great attention to formal balance with ironic aspects of great charm combined with the use of plastic in bright colors.
In his career spanning five decades, Aarnio has created many high-quality projects, capable of contributing to the popularity of Finnish design in recent times.
In 1963 he created Ball Chair , a ball-shaped armchair made of fibreglass (fiberglass). A few years later the chair was mass-produced and the fiberglass material became his favorite.
With Pastil Chair (American Industrial Design-Award 1968), and Tomato Chair he gains international fame.
Among the most recent projects are a series of lamps called Double bubble , of different sizes (table or floor), initially made of glass and later in white plastic, capable of emanating a diffused and uniform light.
Eero's Aarnio designs have been used in international films, music videos and fashion.
Awards and recognition:
1958 Valmet Trade Mark Competition in Helsinki, Finland, (1st prize)
1959 International Furniture Competition in Cantù, Italy, (3rd prize)
1963 Export Furniture Competition , Helsinki, (3rd prize)
1964 International Competition on Furniture and Design , Cantù, Italy, (1st prize)
1965 Scandinavian Park and Street Competition , Stockholm, Sweden, 1965, (1st prize)
1967 Steel Furniture Competition , Helsinki, Finland, (2nd prize)
1968 Receives the International Design Award from the AID (American Institute of Interior Design) for Gyro (Pastil Chair), New York, USA
1999 Appointed honorary member of SIO (Finnish Interior Design Association).
The works of Eero Aarnio can be found in the following museums:
Moma, Museum of Modern Art, New York, U.S.A.
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Holland
Center Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany
Galerie für Avantgarde Kunst, Cologne, Germany
Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig, Germany
Kunsthal Rotterdam, Holland
Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf im Ehrenhof, Germany
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
Designmuseum, Helsinki, Finland
The Brooklyn Museum, New York, U.S.A.
The Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, Le Musèe du Chateau Dufresne, Montreal, Canada
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
Solo exhibition by Eero Aarnio at the Kunsthalle in Helsinki, Finland, 2003
Solo exhibition by Eero Aarnio at the Kunstindustrimuseet in Oslo, Norway, 2004
Among his most important creations currently available on the market are:
