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107-483: The building, built from 1927 to 1935, is an internationally acclaimed design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and one of the major examples of 1920s functionalist architectural design. The library is considered one of the first manifestations of "regional modernism". It is particularly famous for its wave-shaped ceiling in the auditorium , the shape of which, Aalto argued, was based on acoustic studies. On completion

214-481: A Moomin watch. In the 1960s, she left the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland , to which the majority of Finns belong, to protest against its policy of taxing church members and its stance against female priests. The church has since accepted women as priests, and Halonen has stated that she has no personal reason not to return to the church but refrains from doing so in order not to give

321-643: A 2001 interview Halonen said that she was worried about the Russian response if NATO approved membership bids by Baltic countries . Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga asked what she meant and whether Halonen is actively opposing NATO membership of Baltic countries. In the Iraqgate scandal, Halonen's advisor Martti Manninen leaked confidential documents to the Centre Party leader Anneli Jäätteenmäki , who had become prime minister. The revelations led to

428-517: A May Day speech in the 1970s, the employment relationship would have been rather short." Throughout her political career, Halonen has described herself as a supporter of "international solidarity". She describes herself as a "relative pacifist", meaning that she does not support unilateral disarmament. She has strongly defended the President's role as the commander in chief of the military. She opposed NATO membership during her tenure. Following

535-440: A Modern Masterpiece", edited by Kairamo, Mustonen and Nava. The restoration project gained speed in 2010 when Finnish president Tarja Halonen met with then-Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and asked about the library. Shortly after this the project received 6,5 million euros funding from Moscow. In late 2013 the restoration was finally finished, having cost nearly 9 million euros altogether. Architect Maija Kairamo praised

642-644: A Social Affairs and General Secretary from 1969 to 1970. Her work in the Union spurred her interest in politics, and in 1970 she obtained a post as a lawyer in the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions , being the first female ever to work as a lawyer in the Union. In 1971, Halonen joined the Social Democratic Party which had close ties with the trade unions in which she worked as a lawyer from 1970 to 1974. In early 1970, she

749-405: A U-shape around a central inner 'garden' whose central feature is a kidney-shaped swimming pool. Adjacent to the pool is a sauna executed in a rustic style, alluding to both Finnish and Japanese precedents. The design of the house is a synthesis of numerous stylistic influences, from traditional Finnish vernacular to purist modernism, as well as influences from English and Japanese architecture. While

856-604: A deep desire to humanize architecture through an unorthodox handling of form and materials that was both rational and intuitive. Influenced by the so-called International Style modernism (or functionalism, as it was called in Finland) and his acquaintance with leading modernists in Europe, including Swedish architect Erik Gunnar Asplund and many of the artists and architects associated with the Bauhaus , Aalto created designs that had

963-624: A departure from such norms with the introduction of organic references. Through Sven Markelius, Aalto became a member of the Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), attending the second congress in Frankfurt in 1929 and the fourth congress in Athens in 1933, where he established a close friendship with László Moholy-Nagy , Sigfried Giedion , and Philip Morton Shand . It was during this time that he closely followed

1070-529: A designer he is celebrated as a forerunner of midcentury modernism in design; his invention of bent plywood furniture had a profound impact on the aesthetics of Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson . The Alvar Aalto Museum , designed by Aalto himself, is located in what is regarded as his home city, Jyväskylä . The entry for him on the Museum of Modern Art website notes his "remarkable synthesis of romantic and pragmatic ideas," adding His work reflects

1177-751: A divine service of her home parish of Kallio. This is a privilege that the parish priest may grant only in exceptional cases to persons known for their Christian conviction. In 1980–1981 Halonen served as the chairman of Seta , the main LGBT rights organization in Finland. Halonen was criticized for her view that the COVID-19 pandemic was handled better in countries with female leaders. Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Finnish author Sofi Oksanen have strongly criticized Halonen for perceived unwillingness to publicly condemn Russia’s hostilities in

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1284-662: A few buildings in France, Germany, Italy, and the US. Aalto's work with wood was influenced by early Scandinavian architects. His experiments and bold departures from aesthetic norms brought attention to his ability to make wood do things not previously done. His techniques in the way he cut beech wood, for example, and his ability to use plywood as a structural element while at the same time exploiting its aesthetic properties, were at once technically innovative and artistically inspired. Other examples of his boundary-pushing sensibility include

1391-525: A major exhibition of Aalto's works. Although he is sometimes regarded as among the first and most influential architects of Nordic modernism , closer examination reveals that Aalto (while a pioneer in Finland) closely followed and had personal contacts with other pioneers in Sweden, in particular Gunnar Asplund and Sven Markelius . What they and many others of that generation in the Nordic countries shared

1498-544: A move to a more daring, synthetic attitude. It has been pointed out that the planning principle for Paimio Sanatorium – the splayed wings – was indebted to the Zonnestraal Sanatorium (1925–31) by Jan Duiker, which Aalto visited while it was under construction. While these early Functionalist bear hallmarks of influences from Le Corbusier , Walter Gropius , and other key modernist figures of central Europe, Aalto nevertheless started to show his individuality in

1605-464: A new tradition (1949), in which Aalto received more attention than any other Modernist architect, including Le Corbusier . In his analysis of Aalto, Giedion gave primacy to qualities that depart from direct functionality, such as mood, atmosphere, intensity of life and even national characteristics, declaring that "Finland is with Aalto wherever he goes." More recently, however, some architecture critics and historians have questioned Aalto's influence on

1712-590: A number of key buildings after his return to Finland, most notably in several of the buildings in the new Helsinki University of Technology campus (starting in 1950), Säynätsalo Town Hall (1952), Helsinki Pensions Institute (1954), Helsinki House of Culture (1958), as well as in his own summer house, the Experimental House in Muuratsalo (1957). In the 1950s Aalto immersed himself in sculpting, exploring wood, bronze, marble, and mixed media. Among

1819-554: A number of patents: for example, he invented a new form of laminated bent-plywood furniture in 1932 (which was patented in 1933). His experimental method had been influenced by his meetings with various members of the Bauhaus design school, especially László Moholy-Nagy , whom he first met in 1930. Aalto's furniture was exhibited in London in 1935, to great critical acclaim. To cope with the consumer demand, Aalto, together with his wife Aino, Maire Gullichsen , and Nils-Gustav Hahl founded

1926-657: A press conference in Mäntyniemi where she announced her willingness to run for a second term. Officially, this was the desired answer for the SDP delegation that had visited her two days earlier. In addition to her own party's support, the leader of the Left Alliance , Suvi-Anne Siimes , gave her support for Halonen's future campaign. SAK openly lobbied for her re-election. It used its members' money on mudslinging campaigns on behalf of Halonen. In those flyers, "Niinistö

2033-548: A profound impact on the trajectory of modernism before and after World War II. Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was born in Kuortane , Finland. His father, Johan Henrik Aalto, was a Finnish-speaking land-surveyor and his mother, Selma Matilda "Selly" (née Hackstedt) was a Swedish-speaking postmistress. When Aalto was 5 years old, the family moved to Alajärvi , and from there to Jyväskylä in Central Finland . He studied at

2140-457: A purist modernism would be tested in built form with the commission to design Villa Mairea (1939) in Noormarkku , the luxury home of young industrialist couple Harry and Maire Gullichsen . It was Maire Gullichsen who acted as the main client, and she worked closely not only with Alvar but also with Aino Aalto on the design, encouraging them to be more daring in their work. The building forms

2247-459: A runoff on 29 January 2006, where Halonen was re-elected with 51.8% of the vote against Mr. Niinistö's 48.2%. The re-election was a close call. She led in the advance voting, but she eventually received fewer votes on the actual voting day than Mr. Niinistö did. After her narrow election victory in the first election, Halonen's approval ratings rose and reached a peak of 88% in December 2003. In

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2354-423: A second term. Halonen won the preliminaries by a landslide, getting 7,800 out of 12,800 votes. Halonen was a surprising candidate as she did not represent many traditional values: she was known as a left-wing social democratic party member, who lived in a domestic partnership , was a single parent and had resigned from the national church . Despite starting from fourth place in the presidential election polls, in

2461-787: A series of tall office blocks. Aalto first presented his vision in 1961, but it went through various modifications during the early '60s. Only two fragments of the overall plan were realized: the Finlandia Hall concert hall (1976) fronting on Töölö Bay and an office building in the Kamppi district for the Helsinki Electricity Company (1975). Aalto also employed the Miesian formal language of geometric grids used in those buildings for other sites in Helsinki, including

2568-502: A signal that might be misinterpreted. In the 1990s, Halonen acted as the chairman of Suomen setlementtiliitto , a Christian social work organization. After her presidential term, Halonen rejoined the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. According to her statements, she had previously refrained from it as it might have been considered an attempt to garner political support. Since then, Halonen has even preached publicly in

2675-540: A student; a house for his parents at Alajärvi . Later, he continued his education, graduating in 1921. In the summer of 1922 he began military service, finishing at Hamina reserve officer training school, and was promoted to reserve second lieutenant in June 1923. In 1920, while a student, Aalto made his first trip abroad, travelling via Stockholm to Gothenburg , where he briefly found work with architect Arvid Bjerke. In 1922, he accomplished his first independent piece at

2782-640: A summer cottage, the so-called Experimental House , for himself and his second wife, now Elissa Aalto , in Muuratsalo in Central Finland. Alvar Aalto died on 11 May 1976, in Helsinki , and is buried in the Hietaniemi cemetery in Helsinki. Elissa Aalto became the director of the practice, running the office from 1976 to 1994. In 1978, the Museum of Finnish Architecture in Helsinki arranged

2889-468: A very negative attitude towards Halonen, precisely because of her pro-Soviet and far-left wing world of ideas. Since 2004, rumors have been circulating on Internet that Halonen gave a May Day speech at Hakaniemi Market Square in 1976 and hoped that Finland would join the Soviet Union, saying: "Finland would be blessed to join the Soviet Union by peaceful means. At the same time, we would get rid of

2996-485: Is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders , an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. Since the death of Martti Ahtisaari in 2023, Halonen is currently the oldest living former president of Finland. Tarja Halonen

3103-621: Is acclaimed for its stunning ceiling, with its undulating waves of red-hearted pine (which grows in the region ). In his roofing, he created massive spans (155-foot at the covered stadium at Otaniemi ), all without tie rods. In his stairway at Villa Mairea, he evokes the feeling of a natural forest by binding beech wood with withes into columns. Aalto claimed that his paintings were not made as individual artworks but as part of his process of architectural design, and many of his small-scale "sculptural" experiments with wood led to later larger architectural details and forms. These experiments also led to

3210-613: Is characterized by a concern for design as Gesamtkunstwerk —a total work of art in which he, together with his first wife Aino Aalto , would design not only the building but the interior surfaces, furniture, lamps, and glassware as well. His furniture designs are considered Scandinavian Modern , an aesthetic reflected in their elegant simplification and concern for materials, especially wood, but also in Aalto's technical innovations, which led him to receiving patents for various manufacturing processes, such as those used to produce bent wood. As

3317-518: Is epitomised by the Viipuri Library in Vyborg (1927–35), which went through a transformation from an originally classical competition entry proposal to the completed high-modernist building. His humanistic approach is in full evidence in the library: the interior displays natural materials, warm colours, and undulating lines. Due to problems related to financing, compounded by a change of site,

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3424-778: Is presented as the horror of worker, whereas SAK-supported Halonen is like a worker's dream". Halonen said she approved of the flyers. A study analyzed newspaper articles and concluded that the main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat produced almost exclusively positive tone stories about Halonen and much more negative tone articles about candidates Niinistö, Vanhanen and Hautala. American talk show host Conan O'Brien made recurring jokes about Halonen on his show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien , because of his own resemblance to her. He endorsed Halonen and produced humorous mock campaign ads and attack ads against her opponents. He went as far as visiting Finland and meeting Halonen. On 19 November,

3531-449: Is required for a product workshop or special event. Aalto was also influential in bringing modern art to the attention of the Finnish people, in particular the work of his friends Alexander Milne Calder and Fernand Léger . As mentioned above, Aalto's international reputation was sealed with his inclusion in the second edition of Sigfried Giedion 's influential book on Modernist architecture, Space, Time and Architecture: The growth of

3638-407: Is with Aalto wherever he goes." During the 1930s Alvar spent some time experimenting with laminated wood, sculpture and abstract relief, characterized by irregular curved forms. Utilizing this knowledge, he was able to solve technical problems concerning the flexibility of wood while at the same time working out spatial issues in his designs. Aalto's early experiments with wood and his move away from

3745-786: The American Institute of Architects in 1963. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1957. He also was a member of the Academy of Finland , and was its president from 1963 to 1968. From 1925 to 1956 he was a member of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne . In 1960 he received an honorary doctorate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Aalto's career spans

3852-707: The Artek company in 1935, ostensibly to sell Aalto products but which also imported pieces by other designers. Aalto became the first furniture designer to use the cantilever principle in chair designs using wood. Aalto's awards included the Prince Eugen Medal in 1954, the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1957 and the Gold Medal from

3959-688: The Enso-Gutzeit headquarters building (1962), the Academic Bookstore (1962), and the SYP Bank building (1969). Following Aalto's death in 1976, his office continued to operate under the direction of his widow Elissa, who oversaw the completion of works already designed (to some extent), among them the Jyväskylä City Theatre and Essen opera house . Since the death of Elissa Aalto, the office has continued to operate as

4066-536: The Nordic Classicism style (owing much to Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund , especially his Stockholm City Library ) to the severely functionalist building, completed eight years later in a purist modernist style . Such architectural solutions as a sunken reading-well, free-flowing ceilings and cylindrical skylights , first tested in Viipuri, would regularly appear in Aalto's works. Aalto differed from

4173-541: The University of Helsinki in 1962 but in autumn 1963 she changed her studies to law, and obtained her Master of Laws degree in 1968 specializing in criminal law . She began to work as a lawyer, already before obtaining her degree, in a credit surveillance company Luotonvalvonta oy in 1967. After working there for a few years, she was hired by the National Union of University Students in Finland to work as

4280-519: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Finnish public opinion had turned, and the Parliament had debated the issue and decided, in favor of submitting an application for NATO membership , Halonen also voiced her support on Twitter, calling the move "a necessary measure in the changed security situation in Europe". Her strong stands on these issues have characterised her presidential term and shaped Finnish foreign policy, in part in cooperation with

4387-520: The 20th century. Many of his clients were industrialists, among them the Ahlström-Gullichsen family , who became his patrons. The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Nordic Classicism of the early work, to a rational International Style Modernism during the 1930s to a more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards. His architectural work, throughout his entire career,

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4494-588: The Alvar Aalto Academy, giving advice on the restoration of Aalto buildings and organizing the practice's vast archives. Although Aalto was famous for his architecture, his furniture designs were admired and are still popular today. He studied with the architect-designer Josef Hoffmann at the Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: "Vienna Workshop") and worked, for a time, under Eliel Saarinen . He also drew inspiration from Gebrüder Thonet . During

4601-504: The Alvar Aalto Academy, under the direction of architect Tapani Mustonen , together with input from architect Maija Kairamo (formerly of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities) and ex-Aalto employees, architects Eric Adlercreutz , Vazio Nava and Leif Englund. In 1998, to mark the 100th anniversary of Aalto's birth, a 2×10-metre section of the auditorium ceiling was reconstructed, but it was taken down in 2008 to enable

4708-892: The Finnish Parliament building in 1923 and 1924, the extension to the University of Helsinki in 1931, and the building to house the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1926–27. Aalto's first church design to be completed, Muurame church , illustrates his transition from Nordic Classicism to Functionalism. This was the period when Aalto was most prolific in his writings, with articles for professional journals and newspapers. Among his most well-known essays from this period are "Urban culture" (1924), "Temple baths on Jyväskylä ridge" (1925), "Abbé Coignard's sermon" (1925), and "From doorstep to living room" (1926). The shift in Aalto's design approach from classicism to modernism

4815-730: The Industrial Exposition in Tampere . In 1923, he returned to Jyväskylä , where he opened an architectural office under the name 'Alvar Aalto, Architect and Monumental Artist'. At that time he wrote articles for the Jyväskylä newspaper Sisä-Suomi under the pseudonym Remus. During this time, he designed a number of small single-family houses in Jyväskylä, and the office's workload steadily increased. On 6 October 1924, Aalto married architect Aino Marsio . Their honeymoon in Italy

4922-781: The Jyväskylä Lyceum school, where he completed his basic education in 1916, and took drawing lessons from local artist Jonas Heiska . In 1916, he then enrolled to study architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology . His studies were interrupted by the Finnish Civil War , in which he fought. He fought on the side of the White Army and fought at the Battle of Länkipohja and the Battle of Tampere . He built his first piece of architecture while

5029-677: The Reconstruction Office. After the war, he returned to MIT, where he designed the student dormitory Baker House , completed in 1949. The dormitory flanked the Charles River , and its undulating form provided maximum view and ventilation for each resident. This was the first building of Aalto's redbrick period. Originally used in Baker House to signify the Ivy League university tradition, Aalto went on to use it in

5136-556: The SDP's party council meeting was held; praised as "the president of the whole nation", she was unanimously chosen as the presidential candidate. Shortly thereafter, the party council of the Left Alliance gave the party's official support to Halonen. Halonen's received 46% of the first round vote in the election. Sauli Niinistö (of the National Coalition Party ) was second with 24%. They faced each other in

5243-674: The Social Committee, which she held from 1984 to 1987. In 1987, Halonen was appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Health by Prime Minister Harri Holkeri . Halonen held the position until 1990. In addition to this, she served as Minister for Nordic Cooperation from 1989 to 1991, the same year in which she was also appointed the chairman of the International Solidarity Foundation, a post she relinquished in 2000. From 1990 to 1991, she served as Minister of Justice, and from 1995 until her election to

5350-599: The Turku Fair of 1928–29. Aalto's biographer, Göran Schildt, claimed that Bryggman was the only architect with whom Aalto cooperated as an equal. With an increasing quantity of work in the Finnish capital, the Aaltos' office moved again in 1933 to Helsinki. The Aaltos designed and built a joint house-office (1935–36) for themselves in Munkkiniemi , Helsinki, but later (1954–56) had a purpose-built office erected in

5457-501: The Viipuri City Library (and I had plenty of time, a whole five years), I spent long periods getting my range, as it were, with naive drawings. I drew all kinds of fantastic mountain landscapes, with slopes lit by many suns in different positions, which gradually gave rise to the main idea of the building. The architectural framework of the library comprises several reading and lending areas stepped at different levels, with

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5564-784: The Viipuri Library project lasted eight years. During that time, Aalto designed the Standard Apartment Building (1928–29) in Turku, the Turun Sanomat Building (1929–30), and the Paimio Sanatorium (1929–32), which he designed in collaboration with his first wife Aino Aalto . A number of factors contributed to Aalto's shift towards modernism: his increased familiarity with international trends, facilitated by his travels throughout Europe;

5671-580: The administrative and supervisory centre at the peak. My childlike drawings were only indirectly linked with architectural thinking, but they eventually led to an interweaving of the section and ground plan, and to a kind of unity of horizontal and vertical construction. (Alvar Aalto, "The Trout and the Stream", 1947) 60°42′33″N 28°44′49″E  /  60.709049°N 28.747047°E  / 60.709049; 28.747047 Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto ( pronounced [ˈhuːɡo ˈɑlʋɑr ˈhenrik ˈɑːlto] ; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976)

5778-506: The architect's "soft paternalism": "Conceived as a fragmented mass to break up the feeling of bureaucracy, it succeeds all too well in being humane and killing the pensioner with kindness. The forms are familiar – red brick and ribbon-strip windows broken by copper and bronze elements – all carried through with a literal-mindedness that borders on the soporific." During his lifetime, Aalto faced criticisms from his fellow architects in Finland, most notably Kirmo Mikkola and Juhani Pallasmaa . By

5885-409: The casual observer, the interior walls still have flaking paint, giving an impression of lack of maintenance; but the restorers argue that this is the least important aspect of the work, compared to significant structural repairs. To mark the progress of the restoration, a book outlining both the history of the building and the restoration work was published in 2009, "Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg: Saving

5992-556: The changes in style from ( Nordic Classicism ) to purist International Style Modernism to a more personal, synthetic, and idiosyncratic Modernism. Aalto's wide field of design activity ranges from large-scale projects such as city planning and architecture to more intimate, human-scale work in interior design, furniture and glassware design, and painting. It has been estimated that during his entire career Aalto designed over 500 individual buildings, approximately 300 of which were built. The vast majority of them are in Finland. He also has

6099-405: The company Artek that same year. Aalto glassware (Aino as well as Alvar) is manufactured by Iittala . Aalto's 'High Stool' and ' Stool E60 ' (manufactured by Artek ) are currently used in Apple Stores across the world to serve as seating for customers. Finished in black lacquer, the stools are used to seat customers at the 'Genius Bar' and also in other areas of the store at times when seating

6206-408: The condition of the library, including erroneous reports of its complete destruction. The building is now included in the Russian Federation's list of objects of historical and cultural heritage. Russian and Finnish committees have been founded to promote the restoration of the building, which has been progressing piecemeal, while the building remains in public use. The restoration is being directed by

6313-440: The course of the previous 50 years, the President had only once chosen to not obey the government's consensus, leading to Halonen thusly being accused of cronyism. In September 2008, Halonen was perceived as insulting Estonia by saying that the Estonians suffer from a "post-Soviet stress condition". President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves commented on the issue, saying that "Estonia has never condemned, and will not condemn

6420-415: The decorations of the Festival hall modelled on the Rucellai Sepulchre in Florence by Leon Battista Alberti . After winning the architecture competition for the Southwest Finland Agricultural Cooperative building in 1927, the Aaltos moved their office to Turku . They had made contact with the city's most progressive architect, Erik Bryggman before moving. They began collaborating with him, most notably on

6527-417: The edges by significant buildings such as the National Museum and the main railway station, both by Eliel Saarinen . In his town plan, Aalto proposed a line of separate marble-clad buildings fronting the bay, which would house various cultural institutions, including a concert hall, opera, museum of architecture, and headquarters for the Finnish Academy . The scheme also extended into the Kamppi district with

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6634-415: The end result and said she wasn't sure whether the building was in as fine a condition even when it was originally opened. In 2014, the restoration committee and the library received the World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize for the restoration work. In 2015 it also received the Europa Nostra Award , the jury calling the restoration "exceptionally well-researched and highly sensitive" and commending

6741-496: The far-left wing of the SDP. She publicly opposed the proposed free trade agreement of the European Economic Community in 1973, by signing a petition along with 500 other prominent social democrats and socialists. Otherwise she was loyal to President Kekkonen 's foreign policy, which was founded on Finnish neutrality and good relations with the Soviet Union . Markku Salomaa's 2021 book Tarza – Pasifistin odysseia voimapolitiikan maailmassa states that Chancellor Angela Merkel had

6848-400: The first and to date only woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), and as the Prime Minister 's parliamentary secretary (1974–1975) and a member of the City Council of Helsinki (1977–1996). Halonen was a Social Democratic Party member of parliament from 1979 until her election to

6955-471: The first generation of modernist architects (such as Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier ) in his predilection for natural materials: in this design, "wood was first introduced into an otherwise modernist setting of concrete, white stucco, glass, and steel". World War II marked a turning point in the history not only of the library but the city of Vyborg itself, as it was ceded to the Soviet Union . The building had been damaged during World War II, and plans by

7062-475: The first round of the elections, Halonen received the most votes, 40.0%. Her nearest opponent, former prime minister Esko Aho of the Centre Party , received 34.4% of votes. Since neither of the two candidates got over 50% of the votes, a second round was held. In the second round, Halonen narrowly defeated her opponent with 51.6% against 48.4%, thus becoming Finland's first female head of state . Her first term began on 1 March 2000. On 20 May 2005, Halonen held

7169-477: The foreign affairs decisions of another EU country. It will also not assess the psychiatric state of other EU countries". In 2009, Halonen rejected calls to apologize for Finland's attitude towards Estonian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. At the end of her second term Halonen's presidency and economic views received harsh criticism from Björn Wahlroos , the chairman of the two largest banks in Finland. Early in her political career Halonen represented

7276-413: The historical canon. The Italian Marxist architecture historians Manfredo Tafuri and Francesco Dal Co contend that Aalto's "historical significance has perhaps been rather exaggerated; with Aalto we are outside of the great themes that have made the course of contemporary architecture so dramatic. The qualities of his works have a meaning only as masterful distractions, not subject to reproduction outside

7383-413: The house is clearly intended for a wealthy family, Aalto nevertheless argued that it was also an experiment that would prove useful in the design of mass housing. His increased fame led to offers and commissions outside Finland. In 1941, he accepted an invitation as a visiting professor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. During the Second World War , he returned to Finland to direct

7490-456: The last decade of Aalto's life, his work was seen as unfashionably individualistic at a time when the opposing tendencies of rationalism and constructivism – often championed under left-wing politics – argued for anonymous, aggressively non-aesthetic architecture. Of Aalto's late works, Mikkola wrote, "Aalto has moved to [a] baroque line..." Aalto has been commemorated in a number of ways: Göran Schildt has written and edited many books on Aalto,

7597-511: The late 1920s and 1930s, he worked closely with Aino Aalto on his furniture designs, a focus due in part to his decision to design many of the individual furniture pieces and lamps for the Paimio Sanatorium. Of particular significance was the Aaltos' experimentation in bent plywood chairs, most notably the so-called Paimio chair, designed for tuberculosis patients, and the Model 60 stacking stool . The Aaltos, together with visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl, founded

7704-724: The library was known as Viipuri Library, but after the Second World War and Soviet annexation, the library was renamed the Nadezhda Krupskaya Municipal Library. Nowadays, integrated in the Russian Federation city of Vyborg, the library is officially known as the Central City Alvar Aalto Library . The library restoration project lasted almost two decades from 1994 until late 2013. The restoration work

7811-464: The like-minded former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja . Halonen has publicly supported the involvement of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in politics. The Constitution of Finland and Halonen's decision to take part in some European Union meetings with the prime minister has created the so-called "problem of two dinner plates" in Finland. Since most other countries only have their prime ministers representing them, it

7918-439: The main stairs; the roofs (including the cylindrical roof-lights); the steel windows and external doors; entrance to the children's library; the former janitor's flat; the periodicals reading room; the auditorium, including reconstruction of the undulating suspended ceiling. Due to piecemeal funding, the restoration has progressed slowly. The restorers have emphasised that the work has progressed in terms of greatest urgency; thus, to

8025-430: The most well-known being the three-volume biography, usually referred to as the definitive biography on Aalto. Other books Aalto research Archives Resources Catalogs Buildings and reviews Tarja Halonen Tarja Kaarina Halonen ( pronounced [ˈtɑrjɑ (ˈkɑːrinɑ) ˈhɑlonen] , born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland , and

8132-696: The new Soviet authorities to repair it were proposed but never carried out. The building then remained empty for a decade, causing even more damage, including the destruction of the wave-shaped auditorium ceiling. During the 1950s schemes were drawn up for its restoration — including a version in the Stalinist classical style typical of the time — by architect Aleksandr Shver. Until the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev , few people from Finland, let alone other Western countries, visited Vyborg, and there were many different accounts in Western architectural texts about

8239-421: The notable works from this period is his 1960 memorial to the Battle of Suomussalmi . Located on the battlefield, it consists of a leaning bronze pillar on a pedestal. Foremost among Aalto's work from the early 1960s until his death in 1976 were his projects in Helsinki, in particular the huge town plan for the void in the centre of Helsinki adjacent to Töölö Bay and the vast railway yards , an area marked on

8346-534: The opportunity to experiment with concrete prefabrication in the Standard Apartment Building; the cutting-edge Le Corbusier -inspired formal language of the Turun Sanomat Building; and Aalto's application of both in the Paimio Sanatorium and in the ongoing design for the library. Although the Turun Sanomat Building and Paimio Sanatorium are comparatively pure modernist works, they carried the seeds of his questioning of such an orthodox modernist approach and

8453-492: The past. Notably, after the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia , Halonen referred to Ilves' concerns as "post-Soviet stress". A long-running joke, which stems from the recurring segment " Conan O'Brien Hates My Homeland ", is that American talk show host Conan O'Brien resembles Tarja Halonen. After joking about this for several months (which led to his endorsement of her campaign), O'Brien travelled to Finland, appeared on several television shows and met President Halonen. The trip

8560-495: The presidency in 2000 . She also served as a minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1987 to 1990, as Minister of Justice from 1990 to 1991, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2000. Halonen was an extremely popular president, with her approval ratings reaching a peak of 88 percent in December 2003. She was re-elected in 2006 , defeating National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö in

8667-858: The presidency, she served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Lipponen I Cabinet . Halonen announced in 1999 that she wished to stand as a candidate for president in the 2000 presidential elections . In the preliminary elections of the Social Democrats Halonen ran against Pertti Paasio , a member of the European Parliament and former party chairman, and Jacob Söderman , the European Ombudsman . The incumbent, Martti Ahtisaari , refused to run in party preliminaries and thus announced that he would not run for

8774-503: The problems of globalization during her presidency. In 2006, she was mentioned by various commentators as a potential candidate for the United Nations Secretary-General selection , but she denied an interest at that time, stating that she wanted to finish her term as president before thinking about other career options. In 2009, Forbes named her among the 100 most powerful women in the world. Halonen

8881-463: The project's transnational collaboration. The Vyborg Library has also been the starting point for a very different kind of art project, a film titled What's the time in Vyborg? (2002) by Finnish-American artist Liisa Roberts . Roberts was challenging the introspective view Finns have of their former city, by organising and filming writing workshops arranged for local Vyborg youths. When I designed

8988-430: The reconstruction of the ceiling proper. In September 2003 an international seminar and workshop was held at the library, under the auspicies of DOCOMOMO , to discuss the restoration of the library, as well as its role within the local community. Experts in restoration from around the world attended. In the first phase (until 2009), the following parts of the building have been restored: the large glass wall in front of

9095-556: The remote reality [sic] in which they have their roots." At the heart of their critique was the perception of Aalto's work as unsuited to the urban context: "Essentially, his architecture is not appropriate to urban typologies." At the other end of the political spectrum (though similarly concerned with the appropriateness of Aalto's formal language), the American cultural theorist and architectural historian Charles Jencks singled out his Pensions Institute as an example of what he termed

9202-514: The resignation of Jäätteenmäki. Halonen has opposed the use of landmines in Finnish military doctrine. Halonen has defended cluster bombs and did not sign a treaty which would have banned Finland from using these kinds of weapons. In 2008, Halonen nominated SDP-affiliated Ritva Viljanen for a second term in the Ministry of the Interior. The government had nominated Ilkka Laitinen. Over

9309-552: The same neighbourhood – now the former is a "home museum" and the latter the premises of the Alvar Aalto Academy. In 1926, the young Aaltos designed and had built for themselves a summer cottage in Alajärvi , Villa Flora. Aino and Alvar had two children, a daughter, Johanna "Hanni" (married surname Alanen; born 1925), and a son, Hamilkar Aalto (born 1928). Aino Aalto died of cancer in 1949. In 1952, Aalto married architect Elissa Mäkiniemi (died 1994). In 1952, he designed and built

9416-478: The second round by 51% to 48%. Ineligible to run in the 2012 presidential elections because of term limits, Halonen left office on 1 March 2012 and was succeeded by Niinistö. Widely known for her interest in human rights issues, Halonen served as the chairperson of the Finnish LGBT rights organization Seta in the 1980s, and she actively participated in the discussion of issues such as women's rights and

9523-1038: The style of Nordic Classicism. For example, the manor-like house for his mother's cousin Terho Manner in Töysa (1923), a summer villa for the Jyväskylä chief constable (also from 1923) and the Alatalo farmhouse in Tarvaala (1924). During this period he completed his first public buildings, the Jyväskylä Workers' Club in 1925, the Jyväskylä Defence Corps Building in 1926 and the Seinäjoki Civil Guard House building in 1924–29. He entered several architectural competitions for prestigious state public buildings, in Finland and abroad. This included two competitions for

9630-608: The vertical placement of rough-hewn logs at his pavilion at the Lapua expo, a design element that evoked a medieval barricade. At the orchestra platform at Turku and the Paris expo at the World Fair, he used varying sizes and shapes of planks. Also at Paris (and at Villa Mairea ), he utilized birch boards in a vertical arrangement. His Vyborg Library , built in what was then Viipuri (it became Vyborg after Soviet annexation in 1944),

9737-486: The work of the main force driving the new modernism, Le Corbusier , visiting him in his Paris office several times in the following years. It was not until the completion of the Paimio Sanatorium (1932) and Viipuri Library (1935) that Aalto first achieved world attention in architecture. His reputation grew in the US following the invitation to hold a retrospective exhibition of his works at MOMA in New York in 1938. (This

9844-493: The world of Finnish politics and government and her political career took a great step forward, as she went on to hold a number of public offices. Sorsa later said that he wanted his parliamentary secretary to have good ties with the trade unions of Finland and have skills in jurisprudence . Working in Parliament made Halonen even more interested in politics and she decided to take part in the municipal elections of 1976. She

9951-519: The yoke of capitalism , because capitalism will die in 20 years. Finland, together with the Soviet Union, could be a pioneer towards a communist society." In an interview with STT , Halonen herself has completely rejected the gossip, saying: "I have not given any May Day speech in Hakaniemi in 1976, nor can the text be found in the Informant. And if a Social Democrat SAK lawyer had given such

10058-546: Was Aalto's first trip there, though Aino had previously made a study trip there. The latter trip together sealed an intellectual bond with the culture of the Mediterranean region that remained important to Aalto for life. On their return they continued with several local projects, notably the Jyväskylä Worker's Club, which incorporated a number of motifs which they had studied during their trip, most notably

10165-400: Was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware , as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as "branches of the tree whose trunk is architecture." Aalto's early career ran in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland during the first half of

10272-399: Was a classical education and an approach to classical architecture that historians now call Nordic Classicism . It was a style that had been a reaction to the previous dominant style of National Romanticism before moving, in the late 1920s, towards Modernism. Upon returning to Jyväskylä in 1923 to establish his own architect's office, Aalto designed several single-family homes designed in

10379-512: Was a true survivor, always an extremely active and resilient person who valued good, honest and modest hardworking people. When she entered politics, Halonen stated that these are also the qualities and attributes she respects in people. In 1950 she began her studies in Kallio Elementary school from where she later moved to Kallio Gymnasium and finally finished her matriculation examination in 1962. She began to study Art History in

10486-474: Was also decided in Finland that the task is reserved for the Prime Minister in most cases. On 20 March 2013, Halonen publicly voiced her support for same-sex marriage . Halonen says her interests include art history , the theatre and swimming. She says she speaks Finnish , Swedish , and English , and is studying Estonian . Halonen had two cats during her presidential term. After they died, she

10593-552: Was awarded with the World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize in 2014 and the Europa Nostra Award in 2015. Aalto received the commission to design the library after winning first prize (with his proposal titled 'WWW') in an architectural competition for the building held in 1927. Aalto's design went through a profound transformation from the original architectural competition proposal designed in

10700-485: Was born on 24 December 1943 in the district of Kallio , which at the time was a traditional working-class area in central Helsinki. Her mother Lyyli Elina Loimola was a set-dresser and her father Vieno Olavi Halonen worked as a welder . Halonen's parents married at the beginning of World War II and Tarja was born a few years later. Vieno Halonen was at the frontline during the Continuation War and Lyyli Halonen

10807-715: Was elected to represent Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions in a committee that called for the recognition of East Germany . Later she became the Vice-President of the committee, which lobbied then-President Urho Kekkonen . During the presidential elections of 2006 she was criticized by rivals for this. She responded that the committee was formed by members from many different political parties including conservative parties. In 1973, Finland recognized both East Germany and West Germany as sovereign states. In 1974, Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa appointed Halonen as his parliamentary secretary . She became acquainted with

10914-463: Was elected to the City Council of Helsinki, a position she held continuously for five terms from 1977 to 1996. Additionally in 1979, she was elected into Parliament as a representative of the Helsinki constituency . She served five full terms and less than a year of her sixth term in Parliament until her inauguration as president in 2000. In Parliament, her first formal post was as the chairman of

11021-481: Was given a Neva Masquerade cat in 2013 by Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev . On 26 August 2000, Halonen married her longtime partner, Dr. Pentti Arajärvi , in a civil ceremony at her official residence, Mäntyniemi , after a relationship of more than fifteen years. Halonen's adult daughter Anna, and Arajärvi's adult son Esko, acted as witnesses. Both children are from previous relationships. She promotes Finland in her personal accoutrements, such as wearing

11128-590: Was his first visit to the States.) The exhibition, which later went on a 12-city tour of the country, was a landmark: Aalto was the second-ever architect – after Le Corbusier – to have a solo exhibition at the museum. His reputation grew in the US following the critical reception of his design for the Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair , described by Frank Lloyd Wright as a "work of genius". It could be said that Aalto's international reputation

11235-492: Was sealed with his inclusion in the second edition of Sigfried Giedion's influential book on Modernist architecture, Space, Time, and Architecture: The growth of a new tradition (1949), in which Aalto received more attention than any other Modernist architect, including Le Corbusier . In his analysis of Aalto, Giedion gave primacy to qualities that depart from direct functionality, such as mood, atmosphere, intensity of life, and even national characteristics, declaring that "Finland

11342-428: Was working in a shoe factory when their daughter was born. When Halonen was two years old, her father Vieno Halonen went to the kiosk to buy a magazine and no longer returned home to his family. Halonen has not commented much on the incident since, but Halonen's parents officially divorced in 1948. Vieno Halonen was an award-winning soldier who fought in the 26th Infantry Regiment, so-called Ace Regiment . Vieno Halonen

11449-564: Was wounded three times during the war and after the war he was awarded first, second and fourth class Order of the Cross of Liberty medals. In later interviews, Tarja Halonen has said that she has met her father only a few times. After the divorce, in 1950, Lyyli Halonen married her new husband Thure Forss, who worked as an electrician and was very active in the working-class community. Both Halonen's mother and her stepfather influenced her world view extensively. Halonen later said that her mother

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