A110 “Granata a mano”

Founded in Helsinki in 1935 by four young idealists: Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl, Artek was born with the aim of selling furniture and promoting a modern culture of living through exhibitions and other educational means. The company's name is a combination of the words "art" and "technology", fundamental concepts for the modernist movement of the 1920s that saw the connection between these two spheres as the innovation of modern design. Artek's collection consists of furniture, lighting and accessories designed by Finnish and international masters.

Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect, designer, sculptor and painter. Born in Kuortane in 1898, he graduated in architecture from the Technical University of Helsinki. His career was launched internationally by the Paimo Sanatorium in 1932, a building entirely designed by him and entirely furnished with furniture designed by him. In 1935 he founded the Artek furniture company in Helsinki with his wife Aino Aalto Marsio, with the aim of promoting the culture of housing. In this period he designed the "L-shaped" leg, a recognizable element of his furniture patented in 1933. From 1936, Aalto designed glass objects for the company, including the now iconic Aalto vase. In the 1950s and 1960s, Aalto received numerous honors and awards for his achievements, including the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, awarded to him in 1957 by Queen Elizabeth II.