Eero Aarnio

EERO AARNIO – A Finnish Design Icon

Exhibition at Formladan June 3 – October 8, 2017

This summer, Vandalorum’s Formladan is entirely dedicated to one of Finland’s design icons who, for more than seven decades, has expanded the idea of what furniture can be and how it can look. Throughout his design career, Eero Aarnio (b. 1932) has experimented with form, materials, techniques, and manufacturing processes. In 1966, the Ball Chair was presented at the Cologne Furniture Fair, marking his international breakthrough.

Through the exhibition’s five themes—Artifact, Sense, Time, Process, and Manufacturing—Eero Aarnio’s distinctive and playful approach is reflected. The exhibition features several of his most renowned furniture pieces from the 1960s and 70s, as well as objects and furniture from the 2000s.

The exhibition is produced by the Design Museum in Helsinki. Entirely in Eero Aarnio’s spirit, the scenography is experimental and playful. Alongside the objects, rarely shown original sketches and materials from Aarnio’s own work desk and factory production lines are presented, illuminating the design process.

Curator: Suvi Saloniemi, Design Museum Helsinki
Exhibition Design: Ville Kokkonen & Florencia Colombo

About Eero Aarnio:
Born in Helsinki 1932. Studied at the School of Arts and Crafts and graduated as an interior architect in 1957. After graduation, he worked at Ilmari Tapiovaara’s and Antti Nurmesniemi’s architectural offices and at the Asko furniture factory. Has worked as a freelancer since 1962. Became known in the 1960s for his futuristic chairs in fiberglass-reinforced plastic such as the Ball Chair (1963). Other products include the Mushroom table (1966), the Pastill and Bubble chairs (1968), the Tomato armchair (1971), the Pony seat (1973), the Screw table (1991), the Formula chair (1998), the Double Bubble lamp (2001), the Parabel table (2002), and Puppy (2005). During his career, Aarnio has been awarded in several international furniture design competitions, including in Cantù, Italy in 1959 and 1964. In 2008, he received the Compasso d’Oro prize for his Trioli chair as well as the Kaj Franck Design Prize. In 2005, he was awarded the Ministry of Education’s Finland Prize and in 2010 the Pro Finlandia Medal. Aarnio’s works are in the collections of MoMA in New York, V&A in London, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, and Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, where the exhibition was shown in spring 2017, among others.