Tapio Wirkkala. Korean Centers for Venini

TAPIO WIRKKALA (Hanko, Finland, 1915-Helsinki, 1985) for VENINI.
Pair of "Korean" centers, 1984 and 1992. Design 1966.
Murano glass.
Signed and dated by the artist and with Venini labels.
Measurements: 13,5 x 29,5 cm (diameter); 13 x 20 cm (diameter).

Pair of centerpieces from the "Korean" series made in clear glass with two wide spiral bands fused in sky blue and apple green. Designed by the famous Tapio Wirkkala in 1966, this extraordinary series materialized thanks to the artisans of the Venini glassworks on the famous island of Murano in Venice in 1985.

Tapio Wirkkala was a multi-talented design genius, widely considered a leading figure of modern Finnish industrial art. A multi-faceted artist, his art ranged from glass, furniture and product design to sculpture and urban planning. Wirkkala exhibited all over the world, but was a recluse by nature. His favorite place was a spot so remote in the deep forests of central Finland that helicopters delivered prototypes to his cabin, as no automobile could reach him. It was in nature that he found his much-loved solitude and inspiration for the forms that industry could produce or works of art could create. That same year the director of the Venini glassworks offered him a collaboration with his company. Present on numerous occasions in Murano between late 1965 and 1970 and again in the early 1980s, Wirkkala progressively gained confidence in both the filigree technique and the "discovery" of color. He excelled in the use of the incalmo technique to create polychrome objects in transparent glass that achieved remarkable commercial success. Throughout his incredibly productive career, Wirkkala received numerous awards, including three gold medals at the Milan Triennale, the Lunning Prize, the Pro Finlandia Medal and the Prince Eugen Medal. Awards and distinctions: 1st and 2nd place, Bank of Finland Banknote Design Competition 1947, 4 awards, Olympic Stamp Design 1951, for the 1952 Summer Olympic Games, 3 Grand Prizes at the 9th Milan Triennale, 1951, 3 Grand Prizes, at the 10th Milan Triennale, 1954, Lunning Prize 1951, Order of the Lion of Finland - medal 1955, 1st place, Brussels Universal Exhibition 1957, Medal of the year 1958 of the Society of Industrial Arts, Grand Prize and Gold Medal, Milan 1960, Silver Medal, Milan 1963.Domus Golden Obelisk. Milan 1963, Gold Medal of the President of Italy, International Ceramics Competition of Faenza 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1973, International Prize of Vicenza 1963, 1966 and 1967, Honorary Royal Designer of Industry. London 1964, Honorary Award of the Finnish Cultural Foundation 1968, Honorary Doctorate, Royal College of Arts, London 1971, Honorary Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London 1971, Honorary title of Academician of the Academy of Finland in 1972, Medal of the Teosto organization for Creative Work 1980, Prince Eugen Medal. Stockholm 1980. Tapio Wirkkala landed in Murano in 1965.