Art Glass

Finnish design took a huge leap in the middle of last century when Finnish designers got
an impressive number of awards at successive Triennials held in Milan in years 1933-1964.
Here some of the triumphs in Milan:
Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) von 1933 in Milan a gold medal for his furniture.
Aino Aalto (1894-1949) von 1936 a gold medal for her Bölgeblick glass series.
Kai Franck (1911-1989) von 1951 a gold medal for his ceramic table goods (“Kilta”),
and 1957 a Grand Prix for his colorful enamel metal bowls.
Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) has also several times von awards at the Triennal in Milan.
In 1951 he von a Grand Prix award with his glass art object “Chantarel”,
and in 1954 with the “Kuutonen” glass bowl.
In 1954 Timo Sarpaneva (1926-2006) von a Grand Prix award with the glass art objects “Orchid” and “Kayak”.
The Orchid was soon after named the world’s most beautiful item by American 'House Beautiful' -magazine,
and the “Kayak” is mentioned in the 1991 Guinness Book of World Records
as the most expensive piece of modern glass art in the world.
In 1957 Sarpaneva von a Grand Prix in Milan with glass art pieces “Sleeping birds”
Saara Hopea (1925-1984) von in 1954 a silver medal with her stackable glass series
and in 1957 another silver medal with her Flamingo liqueur glass series.
Nanny Still (1926-2009) got a Honorary award at the Triennal in Milan in1954.