Leaf Bowl (birch plywood)
Tapio Wirkkala
Tapio Wirkkala
This vintage leaf bowl is one of a small quantity of these iconic wooden bowls were executed between 1951 and 1954.
Provenance: private collection of Murray Moss & Franklin Getchell; Fifty/50 gallery, New York
An example of this bowl was first shown at the IX Triennale exhibition (Milan, Italy) in 1951, and represents perfectly the artist's link between nature and man-made objects. An early - and highly prized - experiment with plywood, again this object reflects Wirkkala's fascination with natural materials recomposed by man. Composing his own wood, layer upon layer, with the craftsman-like care of a textile designer weaving his own fabric, this technique makes possible the careful balance of dark and light streaks, and the placing of natural, leaf-like 'veins' of coloured wood.
Examples of this bowl, arguably Wirkkala's most famous work and the ultimate expression of mid-century Finnish craftsmanship and aesthetics, are in the permanent collections of most major museums, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Provenance: private collection of Murray Moss & Franklin Getchell; Fifty/50 gallery, New York
An example of this bowl was first shown at the IX Triennale exhibition (Milan, Italy) in 1951, and represents perfectly the artist's link between nature and man-made objects. An early - and highly prized - experiment with plywood, again this object reflects Wirkkala's fascination with natural materials recomposed by man. Composing his own wood, layer upon layer, with the craftsman-like care of a textile designer weaving his own fabric, this technique makes possible the careful balance of dark and light streaks, and the placing of natural, leaf-like 'veins' of coloured wood.
Examples of this bowl, arguably Wirkkala's most famous work and the ultimate expression of mid-century Finnish craftsmanship and aesthetics, are in the permanent collections of most major museums, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
