Chair, Pastille or Gyro

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of Eleanore and Charles Stendig in memory of Eve Brustein and Rose Stendig, D94.333.1

Aarnio’s fiberglass Pastille chair is an elemental form made of a single material and molded in two parts. This legless chair evokes the Pop Art that swept the art and design field in the 1960s, and for Finland it was a major departure from the traditional wood-and-upholstery furniture forms. It appealed to nonconformist designers who enjoyed lounging in brightly colored chairs close to the floor, unconcerned about the hard plastic’s lack of comfort that cushioned upholstery would have provided.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, photo: Giles Rivest.