Spring 2022 Virtual Exhibit: Alvar Aalto: “It’s great fun to design furniture.”
Mount Angel Abbey Library was dedicated in 1970 – fifty-two years ago – to the jazz of Duke Ellington. That dedication signaled an end and a beginning. It was the end of a years-long process to bring Alvar Aalto’s powerful imaginings to concrete reality. And it was the beginning of what we hope to be centuries of cultural, aesthetic, and intellectual contributions to the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We celebrate in this virtual exhibit a small window into the man, Aalto, and his humane furniture designs and construction.
Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect and designer, was part of the Modern Movement of Architecture. He created his own style as an interpretation of modernism, focused on local materials and functionality. He emphasized the use of wood to provide warmth to his projects and a stronger connection with local culture.
Aalto’s most important collaborator was Aino Marsio-Aalto (1894–1949) his wife and professional partner. Alvar and Aino, married in 1924, were such close collaborators that it is impossible to determine each individual’s specific contributions to the work. (Schildt, Alvar Aalto: The Mature Years, 1991)
A new library at Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary became a pressing need in the 1960s. As the number of books grew, the available space became totally inadequate. Slowly, the monastic community began to heed Abbot Damian Jentges’ visionary call for a new library. In 1962 Abbot Damian authorized Fr. Barnabas Reasoner, O.S.B., librarian, to conduct a search for an architect to build a library that could become a cultural center for the Pacific Northwest. In response, Fr. Barnabas contacted several noted architects and secured one of international note, Alvar Aalto, of Finland. To the surprise of many, Aalto said yes to the invitation. (Rippinger, Struggle and Ascent: the history of Mount Angel Abbey, 2020)
Aalto Vase / Savoy Vase, c. 1936
