Tapio Wirkkala was born in 1915 in Hanko, the southernmost town in Finland. He was a graphic artist, interior architect and a highly successful designer. Among other things, Wirkkala worked in Raymond Loewy's design office in New York in the USA. Alongside numerous international design awards, he won three gold medals at each of the consecutive Milan Triennales of 1951 and 1954.
From 1952, Tapio Wirkkala worked for Iittala. His best-known designs for Iittala include the "Tapio" drinking glass series and his leaf-shaped wooden bowls, known as "Leaf dishes", from the 1950s.
From 1957, he also designed for Rosenthal, where Wirkkala created the well-known porcelain, glass and cutlery designs Century, Composition, Kurve, Polygon, Taille and Variation.
As examples of contemporary design, the Century service was added to the permanent collection of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in France, and Variation to the collection of MoMA in New York.
Tapio Wirkkala died in Helsinki, Finland, on 19 May 1985.