Set of Three Wall Panels Designed by Tapio Wirkkala

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Set of Three Wall Panels Designed by Tapio Wirkkala

About the Item

Tapio Wirkkala for Asko, set of three wall panels, birch, plywood, Finland, 1950s Finnish designer Wirkkala, who is known for his great craftsmanship and knowledge of wood, shows his talent as a sculptor and artist with this item. The three wall panels feature a striking play of lines and patterns. Every panel has a unique expression, yet together they form a lovely match. Two panels present oval inlays on a bright or dark background. The third item is structured with parallel waves creating a dynamic look. Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was not only a Finnish furniture and product designer but a sculptor too, and he was one of the major figures of postwar design in Finland. In 1933 Wirkkala began the studies of Industrial arts at the Central School of Applied Arts and graduated in 1936. Under his fellow students was no other than Ilmari Tapiovaara. After forced military service and the Second World War Wirkkala started to work successfully as a glass artist. He also worked as a graphic, exhibition and furniture designer. As he said himself "my fatal defect is that I am interested in too many things". His oeuvre contains cutlery, glass ware, furniture and sculptures. At the Triennale in 1951 Wirkkala was aquainted with Gio Ponti and his family to whom Wirkkala began a friendship. One of his trademarks is his incorporation of Finnish flora and fauna in his design. He is inspired by the materials and appearances of nature. His sensitive approach to different materials and his great craftsmanship resulted in striking designs. Already in the 1940s Wirkkala’s interest for plywood arose. By grinding laminated plywood Wirkkala achieved rhythmic lines. These patterns would often resemble in leaves or other natural shapes. Like the tables he designed for Asko show the technique of plywood intarsia used as decorative accents on the tabletops. Please note that the shown price is the price per item.

Creator:
Tapio Wirkkala (Designer),Asko (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 48.82 in (124 cm)Width: 24.41 in (62 cm)Depth: 1.38 in (3.5 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Birch,Plywood
Place of Origin:
Finland
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1950s
Condition:
Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftsmen in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. We guarantee a very highquality standard, ask our design specialists for detailed information.
Seller Location:
Waalwijk, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: 450161241stDibs: LU933122403062

Shop All Tapio Wirkkala

Tapio Wirkkala

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.

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