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Lot Essay
Paavo Tynell was co-founder and one of the main designers of Taito AB, the first industrial producer of lighting in Finland. With the innovation of electricity in the beginning of the 20th century, Taito and Tynell expanded the thinking and manufacturing of modern lighting solutions in Europe and abroad, which continued when Taito went on to be acquired by Idman Oy in 1954. A master craftsman himself, Tynell’s designs for Taito and Idman synthesised a traditional aesthetic with a modern sensibility. With the use of a few simple materials – perforated and polished brass, glass, leather – Paavo Tynell created an easily recognisable style with an ornamented yet sleek design. His constant focus on the interplay between light and shadow, combined with a respect for high-quality craftsmanship, creates a subtlety of atmosphere which continues to resonate and enhance today’s interiors.
Tynell rose to increased prominence in the 1930s and 40s he collaborated with most renowned Finnish architects Tynell’s company Taito Oy producing fixtures for all of Alvar Aalto’s major projects, including the Paimio Sanatorium (1929-1933), the Viipuri Library (1935) and the Savoy restaurant (1937). His work also steadily gained international prominence, were in winning awards at the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona and the Milan Triennale of 1933, and particularly through his U.S. partnership with Finland House from 1947, a New York design atelier that showcased the work of Finnish designers and craftspeople. His elegant brass designs, marketed under the name Finland House (but still made by Taito in Helsinki), won huge demand in North America, and he went on to create lighting designs for noted American companies such as Lightolier and Litecraft, in addition to designing the lighting for the United Nations Secretary General’s Office in the United Nations building in 1955.
Tynell rose to increased prominence in the 1930s and 40s he collaborated with most renowned Finnish architects Tynell’s company Taito Oy producing fixtures for all of Alvar Aalto’s major projects, including the Paimio Sanatorium (1929-1933), the Viipuri Library (1935) and the Savoy restaurant (1937). His work also steadily gained international prominence, were in winning awards at the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona and the Milan Triennale of 1933, and particularly through his U.S. partnership with Finland House from 1947, a New York design atelier that showcased the work of Finnish designers and craftspeople. His elegant brass designs, marketed under the name Finland House (but still made by Taito in Helsinki), won huge demand in North America, and he went on to create lighting designs for noted American companies such as Lightolier and Litecraft, in addition to designing the lighting for the United Nations Secretary General’s Office in the United Nations building in 1955.