A central part of Artek history

Ben_Af_Schultén

Ben af Schultén (born 1939) had a long and distinguished career as Design Director at Artek, during which he designed a wide range of furniture and lighting pieces. First joining the company as a design student, af Schultén was appointed Interior Architect at the Artek Drawing Studio in 1964.

His work at the studio focused on product development, with an emphasis on utilising the Aalto archive and creating new products to complement the collection. After becoming Artek’s Design Director in 1976, af Schultén took on responsibilities beyond furniture design.

Nonetheless, over the next 38 years until his retirement in 2004, he created furniture that left a lasting legacy.

In honour of Artek 2nd Cycle´s exhibition TEN, Ben af Schultén speaks about his time as Artek´s Design Director and the inspiration behind some of the most iconic Artek posters and materials.