Tapio Wirkkala

Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) is one of the most significant Finnish designers, and his career symbolizes in many ways the global success of Finnish modern design. Wirkkala was a versatile designer and artist whose work ranged from glass design to furniture, graphics and sculpture. Over the course of his career, he designed a wide variety of objects, from refrigerators to banknotes and from furniture to magnificent jewelry.

The most important materials for Wirkkala were wood and glass – he was constantly searching for new ways to use them. He is remembered above all for the glass objects he designed for Iittala, such as the Ultima Thule series.