Over decades of traveling and research, Kaarina region-based collector Pertti Männistö has brought together the largest private collection of Aalto design in the world. In this, Männistö has especially focused on the origin of Aalto furniture design which is rooted in the design stage of Paimio Sanatorium in the years between 1928 and 1933. In fact, the majority of today’s renowned Aalto furniture designs were originally drawn and realized for Paimio Sanatorium, the building that brought world fame to the young architect couple.

Among original production designs, Männistö’s approximately one thousand item-spanning collection includes many prototypes that cast unique light on the surprising and often winding roads of their becoming. With this exhibition, the pieces return to the site of their inception at Paimio Sanatorium to each tell their own captivating story. Anyone curious about Aalto furniture and its position within the architects’ careers will see plenty to find in the collector’s immense historical, technical and sparkling anecdotal knowledge that proves continuously both insightful and fun.