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(1894-1949) |
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It was in 1924 that Aino Marsio went to work at archetect Alvar Aalto's office. The two fell in love, married and began a long partnership. In 1932, Alvar Aalto, who was soon to gain international fame, was beaten by his wife in a design competition. The winning entry, "Aalto glasses" also won a gold medal at the Milan Triennal. These and other items of glassware designed by Aino Aalto are made for everyday use. Their simple and yet timeless design continue to be part of our life 60 years on. | |
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(1898-1976) |
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Architect and designer Alvar Aalto bequeathed a legacy, which still defies comparison. His work around the world reminds us of the artist's inexhaustible creative force and unique talent. Alva Aalto was a great, original artist. Finnish nature and its unshackled forms inspired Aalto to express an unconventional, modern style, which made him Finland's most internationally well-known and esteemed architect and designer. | |
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(1911-1989) |
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Kaj Franck, often called the "conscience of Finnish design", designed simple, reduced utility ware, on the principle of harmony between color and form. Franck's Kartio glasses and Teema tableware, based on the 1950's Kilta series, are his internationally best known works. Both are stamped with the artists creative principle: a constant striving towards purity of form and uncomplicated beauty. | |
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(1902-1973) |
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Decorative artist and glass designer Göran Hongell was one of the pioneers of the Finnish glass tradition. As far back as the 1930s he presented his most famous work, the first design of the Aarne set of glasses. The artist's memory is cherished still with great respect: Hongell's Aarne was selected as the symbolof the iittala glassworks for its one hundredth anniversary in 1981. | |
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(1974-) |
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Elina Joensuu designed the Stella collection when she was still studying product design. An uncompromising quest las this aesthete to combine the material beauty of crystal with classical design in a new, expressive way. This young designer seeks her inspration from nature, music, and museum treasures. As we can see in Stella, spontaneity and an appreciation of tradition are not antitheses. | |
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(1970-) |
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The young designer Harri Koskinen is interested in the contradictory aspects of glass: on one hand its lightweight qualities, as in the Atlas candleholder, on the other hand its heaviness, as in the Klubi glassware. Yet his design workis based not on abstract influences but more on concrete matters, such as an object's purpose and the opportunities offered by different manufacturing techniques. Koskinen has also used glass in an interesting way in the design of light fittings. | |
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(1974-) |
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For the second time iittala offered students from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki the opportunity to become acquainted with galss design. In 1997 ten young designers participated in a course led by the designer Markku Salo. Each student realized one product idea and from these ideas it was decided to put Nathalie Lahdenmaki's Natal and Irina Viippola's Uuma into production. Since then, Lahdenmaki has been awarded an honourable mention in the 1998 Mino Ceramics Festival competition in Japan. | |
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(1947-) |
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Kati Tuominen-Niittylä is an artist with a strong and original form language. She has been awarded many distinguished prizes for her ceramics. With the iittala Gluck! pitchers, she is working for the first time with glass, where she has succeeded in giving a new, captivating look. | |
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(1957-) |
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Tiina Nordström has alos produced graphic art. For her the most inspiring challenge of glass is to find a concrete form for this "immaterial material": an image in a tangible object with the semblence of truth. Nordstrom is influenced in her work by the environment surrounding us - by nature, architecture, history, and culture. She has designed both unique glass objects and mass production pieces. | |
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(1943-) |
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Kerttu Nurminen began her work at Nuutajärvi more than 20 years ago. Thus began the career of a truly original glass designer, and it continues today with the same passion and unwillingness to compromise. Kerttu Nurminen's talent became widely known internationally in 1988 when "the great flame of moving colour" of the Mondo glass collection made its impact on Finland and the rest of the world. | |
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(1943-) |
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Heikki Orvola is one of the masters of pure design. Alongside his elegant minimalized lines, he has created avant-garde glass sculptures. His versatile product range includes everyday tableware, art glass, printed fabrics, art textiles, dinnerware and art ceramics. | |
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(1954-) |
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Markku Salo is a bold and experimental glass designer, whose production pieces are characterised by disciplined appropriateness, modest beauty, and functionality designed on production's terms. In his unique works, Markku Salo uncompromisingly exporesses his own views. The bold interplay of their colours and form is a tribute to Salo's great technical and artistic skill. | |
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(1926-) |
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Timo Sarpaneva has long been one of Finnish design's most prominent figures worldwide. In addition to timeless, stylistically-subdued utility glass, he is also known for his impressive and ambitious unique works. Sarpaneva is a master of many fields and a materials expert: his output extends from utility and art glass to textiles and graphics. | |
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(1938-) |
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Helja Liukko-Sundstrom's deeply human positive works of art are based on themes from everyday life. Finnish nature and its changing seasons feature prominently in her work. "The feeling of freedom, the whisper of the wind, the rustle of the trees", is how she characterises the source of her creativilty. | |
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(1931-) |
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Oiva Toikka is one of the top names in Finnish glass design. He is an adored artist, who has a rich joie de vivre, courage that crosses artistic boundaries, and idiosyncratic expression that has captivated people in many countries. Oiva Toikka is, moreover, a disciplined designer, who has crafted a large number of beautiful yet functional pieces. Oiva Toikka has recieved numerous distinctive awards for his work, both in Finland and abroad. | |
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(1973-) |
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For the second time iittala offered students from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki the opportunity to become acquainted with galss design. In 1997 ten young designers participated in a course led by the designer Markku Salo. Each student realized one product idea and from these ideas it was decided to put Nathalie Lahdenmaki's Natal and Irina Viipola's Uuma into production. | |
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(1915-1985) |
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Tapio Wirkkala is known as a multi-talented genius of Finnish design. His scope extended from glassware to banknote design and utility graphics. During an active career, Wirkkala participated in many international exhibitions and was artistic director of the School for Industrial Arts in Helsinki between 1951 and 1954. | |
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