Design 
23 April 2025
Design 
293

Paavo Tynell

Custom pendant lamps from the Grace United Methodist Church Education Center, pair

Finland, c. 1955
spun aluminum, lacquered steel, aluminum 35¼ h × 17¼ dia in (90 × 44 cm)
estimate: $9,000–12,000
result: $11,220
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provenance: Grace United Methodist Church Education Center, Natrona Heights, PA | Private Collection

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

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Paavo Tynell in the Aluminum City

by Jason McClelland

The present work originates from the interior of the Grace United Methodist Parish in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Located in Southwestern Pennsylvania in the Allegheny-Kiski River Valley, Natrona Heights is 23 miles northeast of Pittsburgh and is a neighboring community of New Kensington—where the Aluminum Company of America had made its home since 1891. The strong silver metal was used proudly and frequently in this area, where some 3,000 employees worked and lived during the peak years, and the Grace United Methodist Church Education Center was no exception. Built circa 1955, this modernist building was constructed as an attachment to the original church and featured aluminum architectural details, including floor-to-ceiling clad windows, religious symbols, Blumcraft railings, and custom-designed lighting including this lot. Original to the design of the interior, Tynell's designs are presented just as they illuminated the spiritual space for nearly 70 years.

Paavo Tynell 1890–1973

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Finnish designer Paavo Tynell first encountered metalwork as a teenager when apprenticing to become a blacksmith. Possessing a natural talent for manipulating metals, Tynell began working for Koru Oy, the famed Finnish metalsmith company. Perfecting the techniques of metal finishes, he was awarded the title of master craftsman in 1913. Moving from metalwork to jewelry, Tynell proved skillful in making delicate pieces; he designed and crafted the wedding rings of his friends and fellow designers, Alvar and Aino Mandelin Aalto.

Noticing a need for designed metalwork in Finland, Tynell founded his own company Taito Oy Ab in 1918. At first the company focused on interior and exterior metalwork, but later moved on to creating creative lamp designs in the 1930s. Tynell was responsible for a majority of the company's designs but Taito Oy also featured the work of emerging designers like Kaj Franck and Alvar Aalto. Working with Aalto and his company Artek, Tynell designed the lighting for many buildings and interiors by Aalto, including the Paimio Sanatorium, the Savoy Restaurant, and the Viipuri Library.

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