Alvar Aalto The Mature Years [Hardcover]

Goran Schildt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is the last of three volumes on the life and works of the late Finnish architect ( Alvar Aalto: The Early Years , LJ 1/85; Alvar Aalto: The Decisive Years , Rizzoli, 1987). Schildt's impressive undertaking has done much to rekindle Aalto's reputation as one of the great modern masters; this volume focuses on the architect's work from 1939 until his death in 1976. It includes accounts of his time as a visiting professor at MIT; the death of his first wife, Aino; his friendships with Saarinen and Le Corbusier; and the construction of such landmarks as the Saynatsalo Town Hall. Schildt has made extensive use of rare archival material, including over 200,000 drawings and 100 files of correspondence; his encyclopedic knowledge of his subject, coupled with numerous personal reminiscences, make this three-volume study the definitive biography of Aalto.
- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Swedish

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli; First U.S. Edition edition (May 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847813290
• ISBN-13: 978-0847813292
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,209,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Continuation of a Fine Biography, April 24, 2001

By 

Peter F. Stubbs (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alvar Aalto The Mature Years (Hardcover)

First, let me warn you: my perspective is "Alvar Aalto is THE great 20th century architect." Yes, Wright, Corb, Mies, Gropius and Kahn had more immediately recognizable & defiable styles, but Aalto was just as groundbreaking as any of them and more practical (and practicable) than any of them. That said, this is NOT really about his buildings. Rather, the man Aalto is examined, and thereby the mind that gave us the buildings. The whole thing is interesting (you don't need to have read the earlier two volumes to gain insight; this isn't Calculus). I found the chapters on the illness & death of his partner & wife Aino, a gifted designer in her own right and a huge part of Aalto's life, particularly affecting. I was tempted to give this book five stars, but it is, while very interesting and well written, incomplete. Not in the lack of knowledge of Aalto's earlier life/career, but in that his history as a designer is left to Schildt's later catalog of Aalto's work. The two are best read together.