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.
Tapio Wirkkala Commissioned Cigar Box In Silver and Teak, 1970s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Helsinki, FI
Very rare and unique cigar box in teak and silver. Designed by Tapio Wirkkala. Very sleak and elegant piece for someone who appreciates the "finer things" in life. The item is mark...
Silver
Italian Silver Box Raised, 1970s
Located in Delft, NL
Italian silver box raised on 4 feet, 1970s Italian silver box in curvy octagonal shape with repousse design of flowers and scrolls The purity de...
Silver
$303
H 4.14 in W 3.35 in D 2.17 in
Mid-Century Tapio Wirkkala “Paper Bag" Vase For Rosenthal, Germany c.1970s
By Rosenthal, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in London, GB
For sale is an iconic Mid-Century porcelain “Paper Bag" Vase designed by Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, circa 1977, for Rosenthal’s Studio Line "DO NOT LITTER" range. This example...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Silver Pill Box, Egypt, 1970s - 1980s
Located in Rīga, LV
Silver pill box, Egypt, 1970s - 1980s Additional Information: Materials: Silver, silver 800* Vintage from the 1970s Place of Origin: Egypt Date of Manufacture: 1970s - 1980s ...
Silver
$1,043
H 3.15 in W 8.27 in D 1.97 in
Black Loon Porcelain Figure by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, 1970s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Stockholm, SE
Black Loon Porcelain Figure by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, 1970s. Wirkkala, the Finnish designer and artist, created an iconic figure of a loon for the German porcelain company Ros...
Porcelain
Cigar Box
By Giordano Viganò
Located in Milan, IT
This elegant cigar box in ebony Macassar wood, with its distinctive dark brown stripes, is decorated with horn accents around its perimeter. The lid is linke...
Ebony, Animal Skin, Wood
Scandinavian Midcentury Teak Cigar Box, 1960s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A wellmade solid teak box with one large compartment lined with cork. Made anonymously in Denmark during the 1960s in a style reminiscent of Alfred Klitgaard, Kay Bojesen and Finn Ju...
Teak, Cork
Tapio Wirkkala's Snail bowl in silver
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Toronto, Ontario
A great little solid silver handworked "snail" bowl by Tapio Wirkkala for Kultakeskus Oy.
Silver
$1,125
H 2.77 in W 7.75 in D 5.5 in
CIGARROS 1900 Desk Cigars Humidor Box In Carved Wood And Sterling Silver
Located in Miami, FL
A "cigarros" humidor desk box in carved oak wood and sterling silver This is a beautiful desk humidor box created during the late Victorian period, back in the 1890-1900. Most proba...
Sterling Silver, Silver
‘Stellaria’ Candle Tealight Holder by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, 1970s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, c. 1970, this ‘Stellaria’ candle tea light holder is just perfect. The clear textured glass is lovely, and the opening is the exact size to ho...
Art Glass
$524
H 7.68 in W 5.12 in D 3.15 in
Mid-Century Tapio Wirkkala “Paper Bag" Vase For Rosenthal, Germany c.1970s
By Rosenthal, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in London, GB
For sale the iconic “Bag Vase”, designed by the great Finnish glassmaker, industrial designer and artist, Tapio Wirkkala, circa 1977, for Rosenthal’s Studio Line "DO NOT LITTER" rang...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Tapio Wirkkala Glass Vase, Finland, 1970s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Savannah, GA
An ice glass vase by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, 1970s. 4 ½ inches wide by 4 inches deep by 6 ½ inches tall
Glass
$1,114
H 4.93 in W 12.41 in D 8.47 in
LANCEL Cigar Box & Humidor, Elm Burl Wood Cigar Box - Paris 1970s
By Lancel Paris
Located in ROUEN, Normandie
LANCEL Cigar Box & Humidor, Elm Burl Wood Cigar Box - Paris 1970s Large and elegant cigar box by LANCEL Paris. Made of elm burl on the outside and cedar wood on the inside. Si...
Brass