Verbal Sketching, Image Sketching, Imagination – Reimä Pietilä’s Sketches and Aphorisms

August 25, 2023, marks the centenary of the birth of architect and academician Reima Pietilä (1923–1993). The Museum of Finnish Architecture is commemorating the anniversary with a studio exhibition and a book, presenting new insights on the thinking and artistic production of Pietilä, an architect who went against the trends of his time.

Reima Pietilä is known as an exceptional figure in the field of Finnish and international architecture, through his notable architectural production, theoretical-philosophical writings and teaching activities. He was a keen debater, who often acted as the instigator of architectural debate both through his works and his writings. Pietilä’s important companion in the design work was his wife and partner, architect Raili Pietilä (neé Paatelainen, 1926–2021).

The exhibition Verbal Sketching, Image Sketching, Imagination – Reimä Pietilä’s Sketches and Aphorisms will open in the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s Studio in August, focusing on Reima Pietilä’s unique design methods. “Verbal sketching, image sketching and imagination” were an important part of Pietilä’s artistic work and process of creating architecture. The exhibition features Pietilä’s sketches, aphorism-like reflections on architecture, and scale models, which illustrate the forms born from the initial ideas. The exhibition has been curated by Kaisa Broner-Bauer and Marja-Riitta Norri.

A book in both Finnish and English, Reimä Pietilä: Verbal Sketching, Image Sketching, Imagination, is being published later during the autumn.