Pair of Ceiling Lamps
1964
Solid brass.
Provenance:
Edgar J. Kaufmann Center, Manhattan, New York;
Acquired directly from the above.
History:
Designed in 1964, the Kaufmann Conference Center at 809 United Nations Plaza is one of only five projects by Alvar Aalto in the United States—and one of just four that remain. It is also the only Aalto-designed building realized in New York. The conference center was first announced in 1962, during the construction of the Institute of International Education (IIE) headquarters, and was officially dedicated in December 1964.
In a 1964 New York Times review, architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable praised the space, writing: "It is quite possible, in this country, to forget that wood is so beautiful and that its appeal is due to its qualities as a natural material. American processes of manufacture frequently result in a mechanized and overfinished product that looks as if it had never known a tree."
Literature:
Magazine, 'Interviewing Aalto', Progressive Architecture, January 1965, pp. 49-50.
Magazine, 'Aalto in New York', Progressive Architecture, February 1965, pp. 180-185 which features the Kaufman center in detail.
Ref: 1011733
H. 78cm/30.7"
Dia. 26cm/10.2"