Thirty-five years after Alvar Aalto's death, his reputation as one of the giants of modern architecture remains unassailable. While the Euro has replaced the 50 Finnmark notes that carried Aalto's image into every Finn's daily life, his shadow looms large over Finland. For example, the University of Art and Design Helsinki merged in 2010 with the Helsinki School of Economics and Helsinki University of Technology to form a new institution named The Aalto University. As with any iconic figure, there is a constant process of re-evaluation and burnishing the myth.
For Aalto, as for Wright and Le Corbusier, there seems to be an endless stream of new writings. Since we know little about how Aalto actually worked, The Mark of the Hand is one of the more worthwhile books on the architect—a messy history that deals with the personalities and atmosphere of his office. Edited by an Englishman and an Italian, both of whom worked for the maestro, the book distills the essence of interviews with 28 architects who shaped the Aalto atelier for half a century. More than lectures or writings could, these voices offer remarkable insight into the workings of the office, and of the man himself.
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