
TAPIO WIRKKALA
(1915 –1985s)
Tapio Wirkkala, who has become something of a legend, is the embodiment of modern Finnish design. He was an exceptionally versatile and prolific designer and artist who never felt constrained by limits imposed by materials, functions, or professional disciplines. The scale of his work extends from postage stamp size to futuristic cityscape, from jewellery to land art the size of an entire fjeld. He combined craft and industrial manufacturing, unique artistic form and anonymous mass production, tradition and innovation. Wirkkala produced designs for several factories in Finland, and also worked in Italy, Germany and Mexico.
Objects designed by Wirkkala as well as his artistic works are included in many leading museum collections around the world. As an indication of the continuing interest in Wirkkala’s work, an extensive exhibition of his life’s work based largely on items in the collection of the Foundation was shown from 2001 to 2004 in Helsinki, Tallinn, Gent, Toronto, Mexico City, Philadelphia, Washington, Sunderland, Lisbon, Madrid and Zagreb.
In 2009 the Espoo Museum of Modern Art showed an extensive and well received exhibition Tapio Wirkkala Sculptor , the first exhibition ever on Wirkkala’s sculpture.
- Tapio Wirkkala
- Ultima Thule 1968
- Tapio 1956
- Finlandia 1969
- Puukko 1961
- Airam 1959
- Vaneriveistos
- Kantarelli 1948
- Pianissimo 1966
- Kalvolan kanto 1948
- Caravelle 1954
- Pollo 1970
- Ketchup
- Composition 1962
- Neliö vaneriveistos 1958
- Lehti 1951
- Vaneriveistos 1958
- Vaneri malleja
- Pöytä 1958
- Coreano 1966
- Pyörre 1959
- Ovalis 1959
Tapio Wirkkala portrait photo: © Maaria Wirkkala
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All images:
© Ari Karttunen, EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
© EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art