Lighting designs by Paavo Tynell are particularly familiar objects to the Finnish people. The reason is simple: according to most art historians, the developers behind almost all public and private buildings constructed in Finland between 1930 and the late 1950s commissioned work from the designer. There are over a hundred known commissions, including major ones in Helsinki such as the Stockmann department store (renovated in 1930), the Finnish Parliament (1931), the Helsinki School of Technology (1928), and the Swedish Theatre (Ruotsalainen Teatteri, 1936).
Hotels and restaurants lit by Tynell’s designs are numerous across the country. Their names are well known to collectors: notable examples include the famous Hotel Aulanko, Hotel Vaakuna, and the Savoy restaurant, all in Helsinki. Some buildings, particularly churches such as Meilahden Kirkko, the Resurrection Chapel in Turku (Turun Ylösnousemuskappeli), and Simpeleen Kirkko in Simpele, still feature Tynell's lighting fixtures on their walls and ceilings.
It’s no surprise, then, to find in the "Finnish Lighting with Anmaris and Brazilian Design" auction a pair of pendant lights made for the Kino Lahti cinema (Lahti, Finland), estimated between €25,000 and €35,000, as well as ceiling lights (€6,000–9,000) and a pair of wall sconces (€15,000–20,000) designed for the Kotka Technical School. Also included are two pendant lights created for the Villa Ahlström in the town of Nurmijärvi, estimated at €10,000–25,000 and €40,000–60,000, respectively.
Enthusiasts can also set their sights on some of the designer’s iconic models, such as the pair of floor lamps model no. 9602, known as the "Chinese Hat" (€18,000–25,000), or the ceiling lamp model no. 9068/40, known as the "Starry Sky" (€5,000–7,000).
Lastly, for collectors of Brazilian design, the sale also features an important piece by artist José Zanine Caldas—a custom-made coffee table for Celina Zilberberg, Rio de Janeiro—estimated at €10,000–15,000.
