Internationally renowned as one of the major overall achievements of modern architecture, the work of Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is deeply rooted in the culture and landscape of his native Finland. Throughout a long and fertile career his work embraced almost all of the key public institutions as well as social housing and private dwellings. This monograph places Aalto clearly in the context of both international Modernism and Finnish culture, exploring in depth his key inspirations and the complete range of his work, from the Paimio Sanatorium to the Congress Centre, Helsinki.