i-114 TUMBLER (BLUE) 100ml

TIMO SARPANEVA｜1926-2006｜FINLAND

Timo Sarpaneva majored in graphic design at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in Helsinki.
After graduating, he won second prize in Riihimaen Lasi's glass design competition in 1949 and was invited to work as a glass designer. However, negotiations broke down due to the humiliating offer of providing designs without compensation.
While exploring his path as a glass designer, he secured work in exhibitions, shop windows, and graphics for Ahlstrom, the parent company of Iittala, in 1950.
In the same year, he decided to leave Ahlstrom after receiving a request for glass design from Holmegaard in Denmark.
However, Ahlstrom proposed an alternative path as a glass designer at Iittala, one of its group companies, which changed his mind.
He began his career as a glass designer at Iittala in 1951.
His initial sophisticated and highly artistic art pieces earned him the Grand Prix at the 1954 Milan Triennale.
He also won the Grand Prix in 1957 for the "i-line" series of mouth-blown functional glass, which was released in 1956.
Together with his close friend Tapio Wirkkala, who had been active as a designer at Iittala since 1946, he elevated Iittala to become a leading brand in Finland.
At Iittala, he was also active in graphic design, working on posters, brochures, and packaging.
Notably, the logo he designed for "i-line" later became the brand logo and was used for a long time as a symbol of Iittala.
He was active in a wide range of fields, including art glass, functional glass, ceramics, graphics, and textiles, and is one of the outstanding designers representing Finnish modern design.