Tapio Omena
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Chandelier Earrings
Gold
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modernist Drop Necklaces
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s Finnish Collectible Jewelry
Silver
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1970s British Artist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
Lithograph, Offset
Vintage 1970s French Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Canadian Modernist Brooches
Pearl, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Brooches
Sterling Silver
1930s American Modern Animal Prints
Lithograph
Vintage 1930s Scandinavian Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Brass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Brutalist Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Mobiles and Kinetic Sculpt...
Brass
Late 20th Century Modernist Brooches
Agate, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1940s Mexican Modernist Brooches
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Brooches
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Native American Solitaire Rings
Turquoise, Silver, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold, Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modern Link Necklaces
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bakelite, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Mobiles and Kinetic Sculpt...
Brass
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century Finnish Modernist Pendant Necklaces
Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
20th Century Finnish Dangle Earrings
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modernist Chain Necklaces
Silver
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Tapio Wirkkala for sale on 1stDibs
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.