Artek is a Finnish furniture company. It was founded in December, 1935 by architect Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Aalto, visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen (Ahlström — Gullichsen family) and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl. The main aim of the venture was to promote the furniture and glassware of Alvar Aalto, and to produce furnishings for his buildings.
The name Artek manifests the desire to combine art and technology, echoing a main idea of the International Style movement - to emphasize the technical expertise in production and quality of materials, instead of frivolous ornaments.