Video: Tapio Wirkkala (Repost)

Quite by accident, I ran across a beautiful video of Tapio Wirkkala at work and at his leisure. Although it's not in English, I hung on every image. Being able to look at his joyful face and his skilled hands in a way I never had before made it a memorable video. If you're as devoted a fan of Wirkkala as I am, you will certainly enjoy it too.

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 9/24/2013)

Tapio Wirkkala from Ulla Lundgren on Vimeo

Celebrating Wirkkala's centennial

Tapio Wirkkala was born in Hanko, Finland, in 1915. (He was born in June, but Iittala is already celebrating, and who am I to quibble with Iittala?) He designed everything from glass products to banknotes, knives, jewelry, furniture, and graphic arts, winning a number of awards during his career, including three gold medals at the Milan Triennale in 1951, followed by another three in 1954. He was also director of the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki for many years.

As Wirkkala is one of my favorite designers, I have written several posts about him over the years.

Icy goodness
Works in wood
Tapio Wirkkala jewelry
Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal
Video

Celebrate the hundredth-year anniversary of his birth and treat yourself to one of his extraordinary designs. I just bought a little Wirkkala leaf bowl by Rosenthal like this to hold my rings at night, and I have my eye on a Pearl Drops vase and a beautiful Full Moon pendant.

From iittala.com

etsy.com - moderndesign20

iittala.com

Tapio Wirkkala: Works in wood

While I've never kept it a secret that I love the work of  Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, I've usually mentioned in passing the pieces completely out of my price range and have focused instead on the ceramic work he did for Rosenthal, such as his Pollo vase and Kingfisher figure, both of which I'm proud to own.

However, the laminated birch bowls he designed during the 1950s are a joy to behold. They were produced by Soinne and Kni of Helsinki, being named by House Beautiful magazine as 1951's "most beautiful object," as well as winning a prestigious award at the 1954 Milan Triennale.

These exquisite bowls and trays often bring $4000-12,000 at auction, but in 2012 a 56" long version fetched €31,000 (approximately $35,000) at Quittenbaum.

From skandium.com, midcenturymagazine.com and modernity.se

wright20.com

dailyicon.net

modernity.se

Until I can afford one of these beautiful pieces, I will content myself with the next best thing: one of Wirkkala's porcelain leaf dishes for Rosenthal. That might be the perfect housewarming gift for myself when we move.

etsy.com - wohnfaumformer

etsy.com - ModernDesign20

Collecting: Tapio Wirkkala jewelry

I've chosen one of my favorite designers, Tapio Wirkkala, as the subject of the first post in a series called "Collecting" that I plan to write each month.

I have a couple of Wirkkala's ceramic pieces, the Kingfisher and Pollo vases, and we've had a number of his Ultima Thule glass pieces and his vases for Rosenthal in our store, but I don't have any of his jewelry. Don't think for a second that I don't aspire to owning a piece or two. I would love to have a Half Moon or Viking pendant. In fact, they're on my "Things to Buy Before I Die" Pinterest board.

Silver Moon (Hopea kuu) pendant
christies.com

Half Moon (Puolikuu) pendant
invaluable.com

Crescent Moon (Kuunsirppi) pendant
nordlingsantik.com

Apple (Omena) pendant
nordlingsantik.com

Devil's Head (Pirun pää) pendant
scandinaviancollectors.tumblr.com

Bracelet
bukowskis.com

Viking (Viikinki) pendant
phillips.com

Tapio Wirkkala

Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was a Finnish sculptor, graphic designer and industrial designer. He studied sculpture in Helsinki at the Central School of Industrial Design from 1933-1936.

He first became famous for his organic vase designs for Iittala that resembled flower calyces, mushrooms or ice. These designs were produced from 1947 to the 1960s. Also well-known are his leaf-shaped bowls made of laminated wood. He was a prolific designer, creating glass for Venini and ceramics for Rosenthal, as well as beautiful knives, flatware, lighting, furniture and jewelry.

Wirkkala was named artistic director of the Central School of Industrial Design in 1951, a position he held till 1954. He ten worked in Raymond Loewy's New York design firm from 1955-1956. When he left that position in 1956, he opened his own design studio.

He won numerous international awards for his work, which is displayed in museums around the world, and he was a major influence on Scandinavian design by creating objects that were beautiful as well as functional.

Note: I was surprised to discover that in all these years of blogging, I had apparently neglected to post a biography of Tapio Wirkkala, although I have written about him many times. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I hope this post gives some valuable background, even if late in coming. Previous posts can be seen here:

Video: Tapio Wirkkala
Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal
Icy Goodness
Pretty Pollo
Not Just Pretty Glass

From tapio-wirkkala.com

Kantarelli vase
bukowskismarket.com

Laminate bowl
treadwaygallery.com

Composition flatware
liveauctioneers.com

Bottles for Venini
divafurniture.com

Rare coffee table
jacksons.se

Knife and scabbard
kellamknives.com

Pendant lamps
1stdibs.com

Necklace
hagelstam.fi

Sculpture
skmu.no

You win some; you lose some

Several days ago, I started watching an item on eBay. Not just any item, mind you. It was a wish list item...a Rosenthal Studio Line Porcelaine Noire kingfisher by Tapio Wirkkala. I already have one in white, and I've been on the lookout for its black mate at a reasonable price. For a few days, I thought I had found it.

Then, as so often happens, the price went up drastically in the last hours of bidding and sold for more than triple my bid. In my opinion, the high bidder considerably overpaid...or just wanted it more than I did.

The search continues.

ebay.com - hoboro99

Video: Tapio Wirkkala

Quite by accident, I ran across a beautiful video of Tapio Wirkkala at work and at his leisure. Although it's not in English, I hung on every image. Being able to look at his joyful face and his skilled hands in a way I never had before made it a memorable video. If you're as devoted a fan of Wirkkala as I am, you will certainly enjoy it too.

vimeo.com - Ullla Lundgren

Glass therapy

Glass has a very calming, almost hypnotic, effect on me.  Perhaps it's the texture. Or the fluid lines. Maybe it's the heft when I hold it in my hand, which is often surprising, considering the fragility of the object. Whatever the reason, glass is magical to me, and I'm in a glass mood today. Here are some pieces that make me take a deep breath and relax.

Gul vases by Otto Brauer for Holmegaard
retroware.wordpress.com

Tapio Wirkkala Kantarelli vase
artartworks.com

Decanter by Bertil Vallien for Kosta
antiquehelper.com

Bowl by Timo Sarpaneva
jacksons.se

Kaleidescope vase by Tapio Wirkkala
modernity.se

Tapio Wirkkala satinated Lichen bowl
antiquehelper.com

Midnight  vase by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta
retropolitan.bigcartel.com

Coquille bowl by Paul Kedelv for Flygsfors, in our store

Vase by Bertil Vallien for Kosta
trocadero.com

Vases by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta
modernistglass.com

Tapio Wirkkala Kugelvase collection
curatedobject.us

Just one of those days

You know the kind of days I'm talking about...when you do something that makes you want to kick yourself.

About a week ago, I started watching an eBay auction for a Tapio Wirkkala Pollo vase. The seller had the starting bid at the incredibly low price of $24.95, and only one person had bid. Of course, I had no way of knowing how many people were watching exactly like I was, but I had an odd, tingly feeling that this one was under the radar.

If you've read my blog for long, you know that I love Wirkkala, and I particularly love the Pollo and the Kingfisher. The vases aren't particularly rare. On any given day you can find several on Etsy and eBay. However, finding one at a really good price has become somewhat of a challenge.

The day I found this particular Pollo, I decided to wait it out till the last possible second before bidding, so as not to tip my hand. I set an email and a pop-up reminder so I wouldn't forget to bid. As planned, I got my email reminder yesterday morning and went straight to eBay to check on the current price. Hadn't budged from $24.95. Great. I was ready. Later in the day, I got my pop-up reminder. Still $24.95. The feeling that I was going to win this one was getting stronger.

Then I got busy writing a post, and I got sucked into the inescapable vortex that is research. One link led to another, and before I knew it, I was avidly reading about a completely unrelated topic and had lost track of time altogether. I remembered the auction a couple of minutes after it ended. 

The ironic upside to this tale is that I was also bidding on a large Wirkkala Kingfisher for the store yesterday too, and I got it.

The lovely 8 1/4" long Wirkkala piece I won on eBay

But wait...is there another upside? The seller said "no chips, cracks or crazing," but apparently no one asked about smears, smudges or stains. Do I see a reddish brown mark on the side, near the bottom, starting faintly at the center and getting more pronounced as it curves upward and stops right under my caption? Hmmm...I think so. Could it be that getting busy saved me from the crushing disappointment of opening a package containing a (gasp!) flawed Pollo?

Ah, I feel much better. Yesterday the stars must not have been aligned for me to get the perfect bird. Let the search continue!

Christmas wish list: Etsy

Last week I featured Christmas hints from eBay aimed directly at those near and dear to me who are willing to dig deeply into their savings accounts or IRAs, cash in some insurance policies and/or take out loans to be sure I have a very merry Christmas. :)

This week, I'm adding some Etsy finds...just in case they considered my last list too short.

Blenko decanter by Joey Myers - $195
etsy.com - anothertimeantiques

Russel Wright Eclipse glasses - $275
etsy.com - pardonmyvintage

Scheurich fat lava floor vase - $425
etsy.com - christophermodern

Large 10 1/2" Pollo vase by Tapio Wirkkala - $800
etsy.com - vetiverhome

Jens Risom sofa - $2950
etsy.com - barkingsandsvintage

Hans Wegner hutch - $3990
etsy.com - dejavulongbeach

Christmas wish list: eBay

Tis the season when friends and relatives start making holiday gift lists, so I thought I'd make it simple this year for anyone planning to buy for me. Each week from now till Christmas, I'll post my wish list...and I promise not to scrimp on cost. :)

This week I searched eBay, and I found several things I think would make me pretty jolly. Of course, those near and dear to me may have to take out a couple of loans, but I'm sure they think I'm worth it. Right?

First on my list is a Tapio Wirkkala tea set. The seller has it marked down to only $208.25. Perfect Secret Santa gift, don't you think?

ebay.com - mona_buc

My fondness for glass is well-known, so it should come as no surprise that I'd be thrilled with this Timo Sarpaneva Orkidea vase, especially since it's only priced at $489.

ebay.com - papuccito

I've decided that no house is complete without at least one piece of Adrian Pearsall, and this chair would suit me just perfectly. With bids starting at $550, it's really not too much to hope for, is it?

ebay.com - orionsobjects

Everyone knows my weakness for Oiva Toikka birds, so I thought this Alaskan Loon would make a nice addition to the list. Compared to the Festive Pheasant at $1,600, this $590 beauty is a steal.

Oiva Toikka Alaskan Loon
ebay.com - carelianfox

Then there's this great looking Hans Wegner Ox chair, priced at a mere $9,800.

Hans Wegner Ox chair
ebay.com - colemason

Last, but by no means least, is this newly recovered, buttery leather Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair and ottoman for $11,500.

Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair
ebay.com - skwm

Next week I'll scour Etsy for just the right gifts. I'm sure my friends and family members are already rolling their eyes and saying, "Good luck with that." But a girl can dream.