Tapio Wirkkala - Nordic Design London Tuesday, September 23, 2014 | Phillips

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  • Literature

    Domus (Milan), no. 256, March 1951, p. 40
    The Finnish Glass Museum, Glass manufacturers’ brochures from the 1950s, Riihimäki, 1994, pp. 13, 22, 30 for drawings
    Marianne Aav, Rosa Barovier Mentasti and Gordon Bowyer, et al., Tapio Wirkkala - eye, hand and thought, exh. cat., Museum of Art and Design, Helsinki, 2000, p. 307
    Marianne Aav and Eeva Viljanen, eds., Iittala: 125 Years of Finnish Glass Complete History with all Designers, Helsinki, 2006, pp. 62-63, 246

  • Catalogue Essay

    The thickness of glass and the smooth melting surfaces of the Iceberg series create an impressive optical effect. Being a frequent visitor of Lemmenjoki Valley in Lapland, Wirkkala’s designs have been greatly influenced by nature’s geometry and phenomenon. The designer’s most iconic works were, in fact, a development of specific themes, borrowed form nature and its geometry (such as leafs, trees and ice). Materials and their structure are also, a key factor in his creative process; he strongly believed that materials should not adapt and be forced into the designer’s project and desired shape, but the designer should forge his artworks in respect to material’s structure and nature: ‘All materials have their own unwritten laws. This is forgotten far too often. You should never be violent with the materials you’re working on, and the designer should aim at being in harmony with his material.’

125

Large 'Jäävuori' (Iceberg) vase, model no. 3827

1956-1969
Still-mould blown crystal glass.
22.6 x 36.1 x 33.2 cm (8 7/8 x 14 1/4 x 13 1/8 in.)
Produced by Iittala, Finland. Manufacturer's decal with i/MADE IN FINLAND and underside incised TAPIO WIRKKALA 3827.

Estimate
£12,000 - 15,000 

Contact Specialist
Ben Williams
bwilliams@phillips.com
+44 20 7318 4027

Nordic Design

London 24 September 2014 6pm