This work is Taschens 25th anniversary - special edition! This work offers a compact overview of one of the worlds greatest architect. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was not only influenced by the landscape of his native country but by the political struggle over Finlands place within European culture. After early neoclassical buildings Alvar Aalto turned to ideas based on Functionalism subsequently moving toward more organic structures with brick and wood replacing plaster and steel. In addition to designing buildings furniture lamps and glass objects with his wife Aino he painted and was an avid traveler. A firm believer that buildings have a crucial role in shaping society Aalto once said "The duty of the architect is to give life a more sensitive structure".