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.
Bolle Collection by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini 1966
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Landscapes of glass and colour. Below and above. Before and after. Bolle ( Bubbles ) transforms air into matter, in two distinct chromatic areas, physically united with the incalmo t...
Murano Glass
Murano Glass Bottle with Stopper by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Milan, Italy
Murano glass bottle designed by Tapio Wirkkala and produced by Venini. Signed and with original label. Biography Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) became famous in the early 1950s, Followi...
Murano Glass
$4,598 / item
H 13.59 in Dm 3.94 in
Venini Bolle Tall Glass Vase in Grey and Blue-Green by Tapio Wirkkala
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase in grey and blue-green designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966. Perfect for indoor home decor as container or statement piece for any room. Dimensions: 10 cm diameter...
Art Glass
$2,464 / item
H 8.27 in Dm 5.12 in
Venini Medium Bolle Glass Vase in White and Green by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase in white and green designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966. Perfect for indoor home decor as container or statement piece for any room...
Art Glass
$2,686 / item
H 7.49 in Dm 7.49 in
21st Century Bolle Glass Vase in Red/Straw-Yellow by Tapio Wirkkala
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in murano, IT
A vase, a bottle. Red and sheer straw yellow. Two distinct spaces of colour created by Tapio Wirkkala that blend together thanks to the "Incalmo" technique, a process by which two pi...
Glass
$2,428 / item
H 13.59 in Dm 3.94 in
Venini Bolle 503.01 Glass Vase, Adriatic & Talpa - Design Tapio Wirkkala
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: Venini Design: Tapio Wirkkala Model: Bubbles 503.01 Collection: Bubbles Year: 1966 Made in: Italy Create a magical atmosphere with a unique piece of Murano glass. The Bolle c...
Glass
$3,465 / item
H 18.71 in Dm 5.52 in
Venini Bolle 503.00 Glass Vase, Pink, Green & Red - Tapio Wirkkala - Damiani
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: Venini Design: Tapio Wirkkala Model: Bubbles 503.00 Collection: Bubbles Year: 1966 Made in: Italy Create a magical atmosphere with a unique piece of Murano glass. The Bolle c...
Glass
Venini Bolle Glass Vase in Pink and White by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bolle Glass vase series, designed by Tapio Wirkkala and manufactured by Venini, was originally designed in 1966. Iconic masterpieces available in 5 different shapes. Indoor use only....
Glass
Venini Small Bolle Glass Vase in White and Red by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase in white and red designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966. Perfect for indoor home decor as container or statement piece for any room. ...
Art Glass
Art Glass Vase 'Bolle ' by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini, Murano 1966
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Art Glass Vase 'Bolle ' by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini, Murano 1966 A vintage art glass vase of the 'Bolle' series. Thin mouthblown grey and amethyst glass fused in incalmo technique....
Art Glass
$4,598 / item
H 18.71 in Dm 5.52 in
Bolle Vase in Grass Green, Amber-Yellow and Violet by Tapio Wirkkala
By Venini, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A vase turns into a bottle for Tapio Wirkkala. Apple green, yellow and purple. Three distinct spaces of colour that blend together thanks to the "Incalmo" technique, a process by whi...
Glass
Large Venini Plate 'Coreano', Designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Large Venini Plate 'Coreano', Designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1966 A blue and green a fasce a spirale plate from the Coreani series. Designed in 1966 by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini. Pro...
Art Glass
Bolle Vase in Straw-Yellow and Grass Green by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Perfection lies in the middle, striking the perfect balance. A vase turns into a bottle for Tapio Wirkkala. Straw Yellow and Apple Green. Two distinct spaces of colour that blend tog...
Glass
$4,197
H 7.88 in W 3.94 in D 4.34 in
Murano Glass “Inciso” Bottle (Decanter) with Stopper by Paolo Venini, Murano
By Venini, Paolo Venini
Located in Uccle, BE
Murano Glass “Inciso” Bottle (Decanter) with Stopper by Paolo Venini, Venini, Murano (Italy). Bottle and matching stopper in purple Murano glass, b...
Blown Glass
Sold
H 8.75 in Dm 4.85 in
Tapio Wirkkala / VASE "LICHEN" /"FINGER VASE" L Crystal Edition 3515 / Iittala
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Shibuya-Ku, JP
Designed in 1949 and manufactured from 1950 to 1964. This art piece, named ‘Lichen/Finger,’ was one of the pieces exhibited at the 1951 Milan Triennale. The form, which resembles lon...
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Bottle Set Models 2507 & 2508, Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala, Mid-20th Century
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Bottle Set models 2507 & 2508 designed by Tapio Wirkkala, manufactured by Iittala, Mid-20th Century. The set includes 8 bottles. Marked and signed. Good vintage condition, minor pati...
Glass
Bolle Large Bottle-Shaped Vase by Tapio Wirkkala, Venini Murano, Italy
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Uccle, BE
About "Bolle" a large bottle-shaped vase by Tapio Wirkkala. The technique used is the double incalmo, which means that the 3 parts of different colors are assembled hot during the b...
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Venini Murano Tapio Wirkkala Bottle
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Uccle, BE
A Pavone bottle (vase).
Art Glass, Murano Glass