Paavo Tynell

Paavo Tynell (1890-1973) was an industrial designer nicknamed "the man who lit up Finland": he is considered the pioneer of Finnish lighting design. He attended the Central School of Applied Arts in Helsinki and then became one of the founders and chief designer of Taito Oy, the first lighting manufacturing company in Finland, subsequently creating modern lighting and lamp solutions in Europe and around the world. He collaborated for a long time with already well-known architects and designers such as Alvar Aalto, producing devices for him for all his main creations. The union of an essential and decorative style with the meeting of sculptural elements and natural shapes determines the design style of Paavo Tynell. Among his most famous works there are several brass lamps that recall the physiognomy of elements present in nature. During his career he received numerous awards and recognitions such as at the World Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929, at the Milan Triennale in 1933 and the main Good Design award in 1951. In 2018, the Danish design company GUBI relaunched a collection of the artist's lighting designs.