Operated by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society

Fragile But Strong & Glass-Art-Function
October 12 - November 17, 2000

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Introduction

Functionalism and Beyond
Contemporary Glass and Ceramics of Finland

Fragile But Strong
Works by Brita Flander and Elina Sorainen

Glass-Art-Function
Post-Modernist Glass of Finland

Iittala Glass
Alvar Aalto
Aino Aalto
Tapio Wirkkala
Timo Sarpaneva
Kaj Franck
Markku Salo
Harri Koskinen

GLASS - ART - FUNCTION
POST-MODERNIST GLASS OF FINLAND

Functionalism and Beyond

The role of glass has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last eighty years. Glass has now become an exciting medium of artistic expression in the hands of the glass masters, and Finnish glass designers have won an international reputation in this discipline, offering a dazzling array of styles, forms and techniques.

For over five decades Finnish design has been acclaimed internationally by art critics, collected by leading museums and enjoyed by an astonishingly large international audience. The important experiments of the 1930s, which included the landmark pressed-glass design of Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio Aalto set the stage for the next phase in the phenomenal progress of Finnish design. The new Finnish spirit of triumph was felt as early as 1951, when Finland's contribution to the prestigious Milan Triennale included - amongst others - the work of Tapio Wirkkala, awarded three Gold Medals for glass design. This great success, which brought Finnish design and Finnish designers to the attention of a growing and eager audience of international critics and consumers, was followed by even greater triumphs at the 1954 Triennale, when Finnish designers received awards that encompassed a broad range of design from glass and ceramics to furniture and textiles. Names like Alvar and Aino Aalto, Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva, Kaj Franck and Saara Hopea have carved their unique niche in the history of modern and contemporary design, and belong to a pantheon of international avant-garde. They have played a critical role in establishing a strong position of Finnish design on the international scene.

Glass-Art-Function, organized in partnership with the Kit Gallery, presents works by these eminent Finnish designers and pays a well-deserved tribute for their contributions to international design and architecture. Their glass objects have become classics of Finnish design and carry with them a sense of context, thus helping to define the design in terms of form and function. This process can be seen as one of the tenets of the new humanism that has guided the efforts of twentieth-century design in which Finland has played a major role.

Jacek Malec
Exhibition Curator