The Viipuri Municipal Library (Vyborg, Karelia, present-day Russia), Alvar Aalto’s first library building, was opened in 1935. Chair 65, which is shown here, was designed for this project. Contemporary photographs show that this chair was used in the auditorium, the main lending area, the reading room and the children’s library. As with all the pieces of furniture that Aalto created for the library, Chair 65 is also made completely of wood. It displays the typical ‘Aalto leg’, the curve of which had been registered by the designer in 1933 and was used for the first time in his Stool 60. An upholstered version of Chair 65 also formed part of the interior of the restaurant for the Corso Theatre in Zurich, which was designed by Aalto in 1934.
