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Tapio Wirkkala

(Finland, 1915-1985)
Estimate
8 000 - 10 000 EUR
89 500 - 112 000 SEK
8 120 - 10 200 USD
Hammer price
6 500 EUR
Purchasing info
Image rights

The artworks in this database are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the rights holders. The artworks are reproduced in this database with a license from Bildupphovsrätt.

For condition report contact specialist
Anna Rosenius
Helsinki
Anna Rosenius
Head specialist Finnish design
+358 (0)40 1284 977
Tapio Wirkkala
(Finland, 1915-1985)

AN ART GLASS, signed Tapio Wirkkala 3860.

Cast crystal in a "pan mold", polished. Width 30 cm.

Small marks underneath.

Exhibitions

A similar piece of art glass was presented at the Milan Triennale in 1957.

Literature

'Tapio Wirkkala - eye, hand and thought', Marianne Aav och Eeva Viljanen, Wsoy, Helsinki 2000. Page 307.

Designer

Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) rose to world fame in the early 1950s following the breakthrough of Finnish industrial design. He was an exceptionally prolific artist who mastered almost any material and designed both everyday objects and unique works of art.

Wirkkala graduated as a decorative carver from Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu (the School of Art and Design) in 1936, after succeeding in various design competitions, he began to gain a reputation as a pioneer of glass and silver. One of Wirkkala's most important partners in the silver industry was Kultakeskus, whose production he renewed in the 1950s. During the three decades of cooperation, Wirkkala designed a large number of products for Kultakeskus, many of which were forged by hand.

Tapio Wirkkala worked for several companies simultaneously on both serial production and more individual design work. Despite the variety of design tasks, certain themes can be seen repeated in his production. Wirkkala drew inspiration from the landscapes of Lapland, where he lived with his family for part of the year. The busy artist did not compromise on his travels to Lapland under any circumstances, and he travelled to the north regularly to explore nature and seek inspiration. The forms of snow and the melting ice was the inspiration behind many of his glass objects, and the shapes of boats and leaves came to serve as an inspiration for several silver objects, such as the TW9 silver bowl, which was commissioned and handcrafted for Kultakeskus.

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