"TAPIO WIRKKALA - eye, hand, thought -"
2001-06-11 until 2001-09-30
Design Exchange
Toronto, ON, CA Canada

Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) is the symbolic figure of Finnish design. He was an artist of exceptional diversity for whom no material was alien and who left no area of design unexplored. For Wirkkala, the form of an object was not just an aesthetic goal or intellectual perception, but the outcome of a dialogue between hand, eye and material.

According to Wirkkala himself all materials have their own unwritten laws. The designer should never be violent with a material he is working on, and he should aim at being in harmony with his material. Wirkkala said. 

Wirkkala's modesty, industry and professional skill overcame all language and other barriers. Wirkkala's work abroad includes the legendary Venini glass works in Venice, the Rosenthal factory in Germany and the local silversmiths of Mexico.

The Eye, hand and thought exhibition presents Wirkkala's production in all its diversity from visual arts through decorative art objects and utility products to architectonic totalities.

The exhibition is produced by the Museum of Art and Design of Helsinki and the Glass Museum of Riihimäki and presented by Design Exchange in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in Ottawa.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Canada

Other Important Exhibitions in Toronto