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Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Finnish, 1915-1985

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.

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Creator: Tapio Wirkkala
Tapio Wirkkala Freeform Molded Plywood Tray, 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in San Diego, CA
Fincraft molded plywood tray designed in the 1950s by Tapio Wirkkala for Soinne et Kni, Helsinki. Embossed stamp on the bottom. Finland
Category

1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Plywood

4 Iittala of Finland Aslak Tapio Wirkkala Beer Glasses New in Box 60's VW Promo
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare set of 4 original iittala of Finland Aslak 14 1/2 ounce tall beer glasses. and date from the 1960's. These are new old stock and have never been u...
Category

Mid-20th Century Finnish Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Glass

Glass Bowl by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala glassworks
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A beautifully executed vessel or ice bowl in the form of a drinking glass having an organic free-form base evocative of winter ice.
Category

1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Glass

8 Ultima Thule Glasses Designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Rare
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Doraville, GA
A set of 8 "highball" or "beer" glasses designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala. The glass pattern is called Ultima Thule. "The Iittala Ultima Thule...
Category

1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Glass

Tapio Wirkkala, Set of Silver Pitchers and Cups, 18 Pieces, Finland 1970s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Kultakeskus Oy
Located in Amarillo, TX
Tapio Wirkkala. Set of silver pitchers and cups, 18 pieces. Kultakeskus Oy, Hämeenlinna, Finland. Marked with makers mark, Finnish assay mark, 925H, Hämeenlinna town mark, ye...
Category

1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Sterling Silver

4 Iittala of Finland Aslak Tapio Wirkkala Old Fashion Glasses New in Box 60's VW
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare set of 4 original iittala of Finland Aslak 12 ounce old fashion tumbler glasses. and date from the 1960's. These are new old stock and have never been used. They come in the ori...
Category

Mid-20th Century Finnish Tapio Wirkkala Barware

Materials

Glass

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TAPIO WIRKKALA 1962 Finland Modernist Sculptural Dish-Tray in .916 Sterling
By Tapio Wirkkala, Kultakeskus Oy
Located in Miami, FL
Modern sculptural tray designed by Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985). Fabulous and very rare modernist tray dish, designed by the silversmith artist Tapio Wirkkala, back in the 1955. The sculptural tray has been crafted by Kultakeskus Oy in the city of Oulu, Finland in the shape of a boat in solid .916/.999 sterling silver with high polished finish. The incredible design is dated 1962 and is made up with a navette shaped piece, with several embossed levels in low and high elliptical with an elliptical hammered recess and an elliptical convex base, which create a fabulous optical effect. This tray is beautiful and elegant piece by one of the great 20th century designers is in lovely condition. It is a piece of sculptural art and will display with great eye appeal. Note: This is the model TW-114. Weight: 186.2 Grams, (119.40 Dwt). Measurements: 95 mm by 301 mm by 26 mm (3.75 x 11.85 x 1.04 Inches). Hallmarks: Stamped and engraved with the Finnish crown mark; the maker's mark, the mark for the assay of the .916 silver, the code for the date of production of 1962, the mark for the town of Oulu and signed in full, "TAPIO WIRKKALA 916H 1-7". Tapio Wirkkala Wirkkala was born in Hanko in 1915. He attended the Töölö co-educational school in Helsinki. His father, Ilmari Wirkkala, was a cemetery architect, and mother Selma (née Vanhatalo) a wood-carver. His sister Helena Korvenkontio and brother Tauno Wirkkala were also artists. Wirkkala's work ranges from designs of plastic ketchup bottles and metalwork to glass, ceramics and plywood in a range of styles. His success as a glass designer began in 1946 when he designed the Kantarelli vase for Iittala, and the mass-produced Tapio collection was launched in 1954. His range was immense, including glassware, stoneware, jewellery, and furniture for mass production, as well as individual sculptures in several media. He designed commemorative postage stamps for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and also designed the Finnish markka banknotes introduced in 1955. In the early 1950s, Wirkkala worked as the artistic director at the Helsinki Central School of Industrial Design. The WIR lightbulb designed by Wirkkala for Airam Electric was awarded the Grand Prix at the XII Milan Triennial in 1960. Among his most famous work have been the designs for the Finlandia vodka bottle (1970–1999) and for Iittala's Ultima Thule set of kitchen glasses. Both glassware items feature a dripping icicle look, and in the case of the Iittala's glassware it is said to have taken thousands of hours to develop a glassblowing technique that would produce the effect. Wirkkala did much of his initial design work using a traditional Finnish carving knife, the puukko. Wirkkala designed his own version of the knife, the Tapio Wirkkala Puukko...
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Set of Eight "Kekkerit" Shot Glasses by Timo Sarpeneva for Iittala of Finland
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Tapio Wirkkala's Snail bowl in silver
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Previously Available Items
Set of 4 Tall Clear Textured Highball Glasses by Tapio Wirkkala
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beautiful set of 4 glasses by Tapio Wirkkala textured glasses. Excellent condition no chips or cracks.
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Six Tapio Wirkkala Shot Glasses in Original Box
By Tapio Wirkkala
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Six Tapio Wirkkala shot glasses in original box.
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Tapio Wirkkala Tray Soinne et Kni, Finland, circa 1950s
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Signed with molded manufacturer’s mark to underside: [Fingraft Tray Plastic Coated Unbreakable Resistant Heat Alcohole Water Wear Made in Finland Soinne & Knioy Helsinki]. Beutiful a...
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Tapio Wirkkala Thule Highball Ice Glasses
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Tapio Wirkkala "Icebreaker" Glassware for Iittala, circa 1960s
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Carafe and Glasses by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A beautifully executed carafe and four drinking glasses all having organic free-form bases evocative of winter ice.
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Stoppered Flask by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A sculptural and beautifully rendered heavy bottomed blown glass flask having an expressive stopper made of bog oak.
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Set of 14 Glasses designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala
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8 cordial glasses, 3 cocktail glasses and 3 pilsner glasses. Designed in 1952, manufactured circa 1980. Tapio glassware received the Grand Prix Award at the Milan Triennale in 1954. ...
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1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Barware

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Glass

Tapio Wirkkala barware for sale on 1stDibs.

Tapio Wirkkala barware are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Tapio Wirkkala barware, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original barware by Tapio Wirkkala were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in finland during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider barware by and Iittala. Prices for Tapio Wirkkala barware can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $240 and can go as high as $22,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $638.

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