Yrjö Kukkapuro
YRJÖ KUKKAPURO, AN ARMCHAIR. Saturnus. Manufactured by Haimi, 1970s.
Base and seat in black fibreglass. Upholstery in black leather. Non-rotating. Marked with a manufacturing label. Width 62 cm. Total height 74 cm.
Wear and marks commensurate with age.
Provenance
Originally placed in Timo Sarpaneva's home in Helsinki.
More information
This item is collected at Iso Roobertinkatu 12 after the auction has ended.
Designer
Yrjö Kukkapuro is a Finnish interior architect and furniture designer with a prolific career spanning over 65 years. He gained fame primarily through his experimental design and ergonomic philosophy, focusing on ecological values and the inherent qualities of materials. Born in 1933 in Vyborg, Kukkapuro studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, later becoming a teacher there. Eventually, he served as the rector from 1978 to 1980.
Kukkapuro is perhaps best known for his chairs, with one of the most famous being the "Karuselli" from 1964. The chair was dubbed the "Most Comfortable Chair in the World" by The New York Times in 1974 and is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.