Tapio Wirkkala: The Sculptor of Ultima Thule
Finnish designer and sculptor Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) was a major figure in post-war design. Influenced by his stays in Lapland, the northern part of Finland, his work encompasses a wide range of fields, including product design, sculpture, graphic design and architecture. The breadth of his talent is reflected in the diversity of materials he used, especially glass, which made him known internationally.
Wirkkala’s most famous creations include the design for Finlandia vodka and the Ultima Thule kitchen glass collection for Iittala. Both glass creations required thousands of hours of work to develop a glassblowing technique capable of producing the appearance of dripping ice cubes.
The artistry involved in these masterpieces can be studied at the artist’s first major solo exhibition in Japan, being held at the Tokyo Station Gallery from April 5 to June 15. The retrospective celebrates the 110th anniversary of Wirkkala’s birth and focuses on his creative process and the environments that inspired him. The exhibition brings together approximately 300 works, including rarely exhibited plywood sculptures, design objects, and prototypes.