Tapio Wirkkala Vase
View Similar Items
Tapio Wirkkala Vase
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.03 in (28 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 6.3 in (16 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Mexico City, MX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU98601895302
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.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
- Tapio Wirkkala Green VaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Collonge-Bellerive, GETapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was a renowned Finnish designer and sculptor known for his contributions to the world of design, particularly in glass and ceramic works. Tapio Wirkkala ...Category
1990s Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala red VaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Collonge-Bellerive, GETapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was a renowned Finnish designer and sculptor known for his contributions to the world of design, particularly in glass and ceramic works. Tapio Wirkkala ...Category
1990s Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
$2,843 - Tapio Wirkkala Ovalis Glass VaseBy Iittala, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Ferndale, MITapio Wirkkala Ovalis 3036 vase for Iittala, Finland. A little later production as it is stamped on underside.Category
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala "Iceberg" Vase 3825By Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioThe iconic "Iceberg" vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland. This vase is an incredibly heavy still-mould blown solid crystal piece. Created by the Finnish master to resemb...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCrystal
- Tapio Wirkkala Silver Vase, 1978By Kultakeskus Oy, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Helsinki, FIAbout the designer: Tapio Wirkkala has been awarded a great number of Triennale awards, gold medals and special recognitions. He is internationally acclaimed and has used a number of...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsSilver
- Tapio Wirkkala, Vase, Glass, Finland, 1960sBy Iittala, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in High Point, NCA blown glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala, and produced by Iittala, Finland, 1960sCategory
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass