Alvar Aalto was in Kourtane, Finland, the son of a surveyor. He received a diploma in Architecture at the Technical University in Helsinki. In 1923, Aalto opened his practice in Jyvaskyia. Aalto's early work was in classicist style, but by the early 1930's adapted functionalism, characterized by Paimo Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Finland 1929.

Considered a master of modern architecture, his unique contribution to modernism embraced context and the natural environment. Aalto created an organic design vocabulary that juxtaposed and weaved, materials such as concrete and wood, cooper and brick, space and form in an original synthesis. His reverence for function and use, has contributed to the lasting popularity of his buildings and furnishings.

Selected works:

Villa Mairea, Noormarkku, Finland 1938
Baker House (MIT), Boston, Mass., U.S.A. 1946
Saynatsolo Town Hall, Saynatsolo, Finland 1949
Seinajoki Church, Seinajoki, Finland 1951-1956
Church of the Three Crosses at Vuoksenniska, Imatra, Finland 1955-1958
University of Technology, Main Building, Otaniemi, Finland 1955
La Maison Carre in Bazoches, France 1956
Seinajoki Town Hall, Seinajoki, Finland 1958
Wolfsburg Cultural Center, Wolfsburg, Germany 1958
Opera and Music Theater, Essen, |Germany 1959
Seinajoki City Library, Seinajoki, Finland 1960-1965
Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland 1962