Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation

Happy Midsummer!
Enjoy the longest days, bright nights, and the beauty of summer.

📷 Maaria Wirkkala, Rut Bryk Seita fabric

Today, on June 2, we celebrate the life and legacy of Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985). His creativity, innovation, and timeless work continue to inspire designers, artists, and design enthusiasts around the world.

Happy Birthday, Tapio!

📷 Maaria Wirkkala

Tapio Wirkkala’s works were often inspired by geometry alongside elements of nature.

Many of his objects emphasize the basic forms of geometry. The Juhla glass (originally named Kartio) consists of simple forms — sphere, cylinder, and cone. According to Tapio, “the very simplest forms require the most work.”

Tapio designed the glass in 1956 for the 275th anniversary exhibition of the Finnish Glass Industry Association.

Toivotamme iloista ja aurinkoista vappua 🎈
Olkoon päivässä naurua, ystäviä ja kevään tuntua 🌼

Rut Bryk’s monumental work Katettu pöytä / Banquet table (1960–1961) was commissioned by Philip Rosenthal for the Rosenthal porcelain factory in Selb, Germany.

Approximately 300 × 500 cm ceramic tile work is one of Bryk’s large-scale wall compositions. The illustration features, among others, the Connoisseur glassware designed by Bryk for Rosenthal, Tapio Wirkkala’s Tapio glass, and a coffee cup from the Finlandia tableware set.

Wishing you a joyful and peaceful Easter

Rut Bryk, Easter Egg Box, 1958
Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation Collection / EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
📷 Ari Karttunen/EMMA

Rut Bryk’s work Jäävirta (Ice Flow) was created for the Presidential residence Mäntyniemi, Helsinki.

👉 Composed of thousands of tiles across seven panels, this monumental ceramic relief (370 × 800 cm) reflects the timeless cycle of nature and water. Bryk spent three years (1990–1993) developing the work in her studio at the Arabia factory — arranging it on the floor and climbing ladders to view it as a whole from above.

📷 P. Nisonen