20th Century Scandinavian Modern Vase with an Ellipsoidal Section in Transparent Glass by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, 1960s

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Item description:
A stunning transparent glass vase, entirely handmade and signed under the base by artist Tapio Wirkalla, with catalog … Read more Item description:
A stunning transparent glass vase, entirely handmade and signed under the base by artist Tapio Wirkalla, with catalog number. Near the mouth of the vase is a small adhesive label with the word "Finla," meaning "Finland." This glass, with its simple, almost square shape and strongly elliptical mouth, is a classic example of mid-20th century design, simple yet elegant and delicate. It should also be noted that this glass was not mass-produced by the Wirkkala glassworks, but was handmade by the artist himself and signed by his own hand.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Tapio Wirkkala was born in Hangö on June 2, 1915, and studied at the Töölö School in Helsinki. Like his siblings Helena and Tauno, Wirkkala developed a passion for the arts, thanks in part to his father Ilmari, a cemetery architect, and his mother Selma, a wood carver. After six years of secondary school, Wirkkala enrolled at the School of Applied Arts (Taideteollinen keskuskoulu) in Helsinki, and in 1933 he specialized in decorative sculpture. His fellow ceramist Birger Kaipiainen introduced Wirkkala to Rut Bryk, and the two married in 1945. After the war, Wirkkala worked in an advertising agency and participated in design competitions such as the one for the Iittala company, for which he began working in 1946, a collaboration that would last for the next 30 years. Among his creations for Iittala are Madonna and Child and Campanile (1951), the Kantarelli vase (or Chanterelle, 1946), the Jäävuori and Jääpala cups, and the Ultima Thule line, created in 1968 for the Montreal Expo and used on Finnair flights between Helsinki and New York, which began in 1969. Meanwhile, Wirkkala participated in and won other competitions: in 1947, he designed several banknotes issued by the Bank of Finland, which remained in circulation until the 1980s, and created the stamp for the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. Also famous are the plywood leaf, created in 1951 and used for the 1954 US exhibition Design in Scandinavia, and the Paadarin jää series of sculptures, for which he won the Milan Triennale in 1960. Wirkkala created the Finlandia vodka bottle. In Italy, Wirkkala frequented Gio Ponti, Luciano Baldessari, and Paolo Venini; from 1966 to 1972, he collaborated with Vetreria Venini[3][8], and from 1957, he created the Century[9], Composition, Kurve, Polygon, Taille, and Variation lines for Rosenthal. Wirkkala's works are exhibited at MoMA in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Wirkkala died in Helsinki on May 19, 1985. In 2003, a foundation dedicated to Tapio Wirkkala and his wife Rut Bryk, who is buried alongside him, was created with the aim of maintaining the collection and promoting Finnish design.


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