Tapio Wirkkala (Hanko, 1915 - Helsinki, 1985)
Tapio Wirkkala was born in Hanko, Finland, on June 2nd, 1915. His first contact with the Venini company dates back to the Milan Triennials of the 1950s, when Paolo Venini -always attentive to the avant-garde of Nordic design (he had already collaborated in the 1930s with figures such as the Swedish ceramist Tyra Lundgren and the Norwegian Grete Kosmo)- recognized in Wirkkala’s work a language akin to his vision.
However, it was not until more than a decade later that a true collaboration began. It was Ludovico De Santillana -Paolo Venini’s son-in-law and his successor as head of the glassworks- who officially invited the Finnish artist to visit the Murano furnace.
When Tapio arrived in Murano in the spring of 1965, he was already a prominent figure in the international design scene, known especially for his work with the Finnish company Karhula-Iittala, which specialised in glass production.
His numerous stays in Venice stemmed from a desire to deepen his understanding of glassmaking techniques that were not available to him in Finland. According to various accounts -including that of his daughter Maaria- Tapio immediately formed an extraordinary connection with the master glassmakers he worked with: in particular, Farai (Mario Colelli), Grasso (Mario Tosi), and occasionally Checco (Francesco Ongaro). He shared the work at the furnace with them, working the same shifts and overcoming language barriers through a generous and intuitive use of drawing, sometimes sketching directly on the walls of the furnace.
His creations for Venini -developed mainly between the 1960s and 1980s- enjoyed significant commercial success. These were blown glass objects, light and refined, essential in form but rich in technical inventiveness. Wirkkala extensively experimented with incalmo, murrine, and filigree techniques, introducing a vibrant colour palette, often playing with striking bichromies and polychromies.
Tapio Wirkkala died in Helsinki on May 19, 1985.
Today, his works are held in the collections of some of the world’s most important museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.