Alvar Aalto

ALVAR AALTO (Kuortane, Finland, 1898–Helsinki, 1976)
Model 83 dining table, designed in 1933.
Produced by Artek, 1940s.
Birch, black linoleum, and metal components.
In good condition, with visible patina and signs of wear consistent with its age and use.
Measurements: 72 × 184 × 92 cm.

The Model 83 table belongs to the famous furniture series developed by Alvar Aalto featuring the curved “L”-shaped birch legs. This design allows the legs to be directly connected to the tabletop, creating a structure of great structural clarity and a light, unadorned silhouette. The large black linoleum tabletop contrasts with the warmth of the wood and lends the piece an elegant simplicity.

The early date of this piece, from the 1940s, enhances its significance within Artek’s historical production. The preserved patina reveals the continued use of a piece conceived to integrate functionality, durability, and material quality—essential principles of modern Nordic design.

As an architect and designer, Alvar Aalto brought an organic and humanistic vision to the Modern Movement, based on experimentation with bentwood and the creation of objects adapted to everyday life. The Museum of Modern Art in New York dedicated its first solo exhibition of Aalto’s architecture and furniture to him as early as 1938 and maintains an outstanding collection of his work.