Artek: Art and Technology

The exhibition “Artek – Art & Technology”, organised at the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the company founded in 1935 in Helsinki by four young idealists, is on view at MC Selvini, Milan.

On the occasion of Artek’s 80th anniversary, the exhibition “Artek – Art & Technology” will be on view at MC Selvini, Milan, between 26 November 2015 and 9 January 2016.

Artek was founded in 1935 in Helsinki by four young idealists, the architects Alvar and Aino Aalto, the art patron Maire Gullichsen, and the art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl, “to sell furniture and promote a modern culture of living by exhibitions and other educational means.” (See also Domus 995, October 2015). This marked the beginning of one of the most extraordinary and ambitious projects in the history of furniture. The founders conceived Artek as a platform for modern art, industry, interior design, and propaganda.

Today, the Artek collection of furniture, lighting, and accessories designed by Finnish masters and leading international designers comprises objects that are extraordinary in their clarity, functionality, and poetic simplicity. In the radical spirit of its founders, Artek keeps breaking new ground at the intersection of design, architecture, and art.

Founded in 1926, MC Selvini is a fourth generation family business and a long time partner of Artek, whose historical showroom in Via Poerio in Milan remains a reference point for lovers of Nordic design in Italy. Marco Contini started to collect his well considered collection of furnishings and timeless classics by the great Nordic masters in the 1960s, and his particular attention to the harmony between function and form sets MC Selvini apart as the ideal platform to stage Artek’s anniversary exhibition.

The exhibition at MC Selvini presents classics by Alvar and Aino Aalto, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Tapio Wirkkala, and Yrjö Kukkapuro as well as contemporary designs by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius, and Konstantin Grcic. The presentation is complemented with material samples, drawings, photographs, and background stories about Artek and the international network of contributors that have shaped the company.

until 9 January 2016
Artek – Art & Technology
MC Selvini
via C. Poerio 3, Milan

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Artek: Art and Technology

The exhibition “Artek – Art & Technology”, organised at the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the company founded in 1935 in Helsinki by four young idealists, is on view at MC Selvini, Milan.

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Timeless icons: the Marenco sofa by arflex

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