Tapio Wirkkala (1915. – 1985.) središnja je figura finskog dizajna, prvi među jednakima poslijeratne zlatne generacije – Wirkkala, Franck, Nurmisniemi, Sarpaneva – koja je Finsku dovela u vrh svjetskog dizajna.
Kipar po obrazovanju, opirao se tradicionalno definiranim granicama između umjetnosti, obrta i dizajna. Suvereno je vladao materijalom – drvetom, staklom, keramikom, plastikom, metalom – bilo da se radi o umjetničkim objektima ili masovnoj proizvodnji. Tapio Wirkkala bavio se i grafičkim dizajnom (autor je finske novčanice), a njegove fotografije Laponije redovno su objavljivane u Domusu.
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Tapio Wirkkala (1915 – 1985) is the central figure of Finnish design, first among equals in the golden postwar generation – Wirkkala, Franck, Nurmisniemi, Sarpaneva – that brought Finland to the pinnacle of world design.
A former student of sculpture, Wirkkala opposed the traditionally defined borders between art, craft and design. He superbly handled materials – wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, metal – both for artistic objects and for mass production. He also tried his hand at graphic design (Finnish bank notes); his photographs of Lapland were regularly published in Domus.
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