Yrjö Kukkapuro
Yrjö Kukkapuro | |
|---|---|
 Yrjö Kukkapuro in 1964. | |
| Born | 6 April 1933 Viipurin maalaiskunta, Finland |
| Died | 8 February 2025 (aged 91) Kauniainen, Finland |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Alma mater | Institute of Industrial Arts[1] |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Irmeli Kukkapuro |
| Awards |
|
| Website | kukkapuro |
Yrjö Kukkapuro (6 April 1933 – 8 February 2025) was a Finnish interior architect and furniture designer.
Education and academic career
[edit]Kukkapuro studied design at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki in the late 1950s, qualifying as an interior architect in 1958.[2]
In the 1970s he returned to the Institute, to work as a Professor and, for two years, as the Rector.[2]
He held Honorary Professorships at universities including Jiangnan (Wuxi) and Nanjing, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now part of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture).[2]
Design work
[edit]
Kukkapuro's design philosophy centred around ergonomics.[2]
He was best known for his chairs, of which perhaps the most famous is an easy chair called Karuselli ('Carousel') from 1964,[3] which is included in the permanent collection of major museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[2][4] It was nominated as the most comfortable chair in the world by The New York Times in 1974,[5] and fellow designer Sir Terence Conran has called it his "favourite place to sit because it is so comfortable".[6][7]
Kukkapuro exhibited in dozens of solo and group exhibitions around the world.[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Yrjö Kukkapuro was married to graphic artist Irmeli Kukkapuro (née Salminen) since 1954. The couple built a home studio in Kauniainen, designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro and his long-time collaborator, engineer Eero Paloheimo.[3] Irmeli died in 2022.[8]
Kukkapuro died after a long illness at his residence outside Helsinki, on 8 February 2025, at the age of 91.[9][8] According to his daughter, he kept working until the end, asking only a week before his death for his assistant to visit, because he had a nearly-finished chair design he wanted to discuss.[9]
Awards and recognition
[edit]In 1983, Kukkapuro was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.[10]
In 2002, he was appointed Honorary Royal Designer for Industry of the UK's Royal Society of Arts.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Yrjö Kukkapuro". Artek.fi. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e ""Niin kauan kuin pystyssä pysyn ja järki toimii, niin enköhän mä työskentele", sanoo Yrjö Kukkapuro, 87 vuotta" ["As long as I can stand up and my mind functions, I guess I'll continue working" says Yrjö Kukkapuro, 87] (in Finnish). Yle. 9 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Paraboloid Pad: Yrjö Kukkapuro's Unusual Helsinki Home". No. Fall-Winter 2015/2016. Pin-Up. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Yrjö Kukkapuro, renowned Finnish chair designer, dies aged 91". The Guardian. 2025-02-10. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
- ^ "Designer Yrjö Kukkapuro for Apartamento Magazine #9". The189.com. OEN. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Conran, Terence (11 June 2020). Plain Simple Useful: The Essence of Conran Style (Updated ed.). Hachette UK. p. 103. ISBN 9781840918175. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Inside the Country Estate of Britain's Doyen of Design". Vanity Fair. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Finnish designer Yrjö Kukkapuro, whose postmodern chairs graced waiting rooms and museums, dies". AP News. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Muotoilija Yrjö Kukkapuro on kuollut 91-vuotiaana". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 9 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Suomen Leijonan Pro Finlandia -mitalin saajat". Ritarikunnat.fi (in Finnish). The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Current Honorary Royal Designers for Industry". Royal Society of Arts. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
