Alvar Aalto posters and Adopt a Drawing campaign aim to preserve architecture

Alvar Aalto Posters poster series is part of the Alvar Aalto Foundation's fundraising campaign which aims to preserve Aaltos' legacy. The Museum of Finnish Architecture raises funds for the maintenance of the drawing collection through the Adopt a Drawing campaign.

In the spring, the Alvar Aalto Foundation published a unique series of Alvar Aalto Art Posters posters which is dedicated to architectural exhibition posters in Finland and around the world. The selection is based on the best shots in the foundation's poster collection and provides a great overview of the spectrum of architectural exhibitions from the 1960s to the 1990s. The posters are part of the Alvar Aalto Foundation's fundraising campaign, which aims to ensure the continuation of the foundation's activities and the preservation of Aaltos' legacy.

The posters are a piece of the history of exhibitions produced from Aaltos’ life’s work, but they also show the development of poster graphics over forty years. The posters are also works of art of their time because of their graphic look and historical context, making them collectable rarities. Alvar Aalto exhibition posters have not been available since the original editions ran out. Now the series has been produced in original size as facsimile prints from the original posters in the museum’s collections.

"The absolute gem of the selection is the exhibition poster from Palazzo Strozzi in Florence from 1965, the subject of which was a red-chalk sketch of Aalto's architectural firm in Helsinki's Tiilimäki," says Tommi Lindh, CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

The colourful posters feature the handprints of well-known and lesser-known graphic artists, who have often been inspired by Aalto's buildings, design details or his sketches. The posters have been designed by architects Kaarlo Leppänen, Federico Marconi and Hannele Grönlund, among others.

Alvar Aalto Art Posters posters are available from the Alvar Aalto Shop online store, the Alvar Aalto Museum museum store in Jyväskylä and Artek's flagship store in Helsinki.

Drawing adoption supports the maintenance of the Museum of Finnish Architecture's collection

The collection of the Museum of Finnist Architecture contains about a total of half a million drawings. Paula Alavuo is responsible for conservation, so that the sensitive, paper-based unique works of art remain archived and presented in exhibitions.

The maintenance, conservation and documentation of the drawings are the primary tasks of the Museum of Finnish Architecture. The management of the collections aims to ensure that the common architectural heritage is preserved for future generations. The museum launched the Adopt a Drawing (Adoptoi piirustus) campaign to help support the collection work. During the campaign, it is possible to adopt a drawing from a selection of over a half-million drawings.

If a client wants to adopt a drawing, the museum staff will help find a suitable one, for example, according to the architect, the era or the type of building. Depending on the size of the drawing, the adoption costs 400–1000 euros and the full amount is used to conserve and care for the drawings.

The adoption remains in the museum as long as the drawing: the name of the person who adopted the drawing is attached to the collection's information, and the sponsor also receives a certificate of honour and a 1: 1 copy of the drawing.

Adopt Drawing campaign on the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s website through this link. (In Finnish)

See the Alvar Aalto poster selection through this link.