Aino Marsio-Aalto’s Diary, 1931–36
The following is a selection of pages from Aino Marsio-Aalto’s diary, recording travel to Amsterdam in 1931; to London in 1933; to Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Ascona, and Stockholm in 1935; and finally to Milan in 1936. The excerpted pages detail the Aaltos’ visits to international expositions, museum exhibitions, and retail stores in each of these major European cities, where Marsio-Aalto approaches every location with the same keen eye. Even seemingly inconsequential moments in hotels and in friends’ homes provide material for her sketches and commentary. With the founding of Artek in October 1935, and the opening of the first Artek store the following year, it is easy to see the inspiration Marsio-Aalto drew from her travels and its impact on Artek’s own product line, interior commissions, and retail practices.Because the original diary’s whereabouts remain unknown, the photocopy presented in this digital flipbook appears courtesy of the Artek Collection of the Alvar Aalto Museum. Each page is paired with an English translation. To see images that relate to the content of each page, touch any area on the English translation that is
highlighted in red
. These additional images include photographs from the Aalto family albums, many of which correspond directly to the trips in this diary.Image left: Aino Marsio-Aalto standing in front of an airplane. Aalto Family Collection.
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