Tapio Wirkkala

Tapio Wirkkala was a Finnish designer widely considered a leading figure in Finnish industrial design. Born in 1915, Wirkkala accumulated a multi-faceted portfolio that included glass, furniture, sculptures, city planning, art and even banknotes for the Finnish treasury. In 1946, Wirkkala received his first design award in a competition sponsored by Iittala. He went on to win numerous awards, including three gold medals at the Milan Triennale, the Pro Finlandia medal and the Lunning Prize. Throughout his career, he designed more than 400 glass objects for Iittala, among the most popular the Ultima Thule and the Tapio series.