Oiva Toikka: Glass and Design Book

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Oiva Toikka has been an artist/designer with iittala’s Arabia and Nuutajärvi divisions for half a century. Now there is a wonderful book to learn about the artist...Oiva Toikka: Glass and Design

Oiva Toikka has been an artist/designer with iittala’s Arabia and Nuutajärvi divisions for half a century. Now there is a wonderful book to learn about the artist and to revel in his progeny.

Many of Toikka’s fans know him as the creator of iittala’s Birds by Toikka series of glass birds. That series began in 1972 and is still growing! Others might remember Toikka’s very popular tableware designs which launched in the 1970’s and remained in production for decades: Krouvi, Dewdrop, Flora, Fauna, Lumi and Peony. Toikka was one of the company’s most successful designers, but he is, at heart, an artist first, designer second.

The book ably presents Toikka the artist: how Toikka differs from contemporaries Sarpaneva, Wirkkala and Franck, Toikka’s inspirations and aesthetic vision. It’s a fascinating story for aficionados of 20th century Finnish design. Perhaps best of all are the dozens and dozens of wondrous color photos of Toikka’s one-off pieces, exhibitions, and glass installations. Those are breathtaking and worth the price of the book alone.

Jack Dawson, author of this book, is senior lecturer in the history of art and design, University of Sunderland, United Kingdom, where his primary research interests are 20th century international and Scandinavian glass and contemporary applied arts. He is author of Finnish Post-War Glass 1945–1996 (1996) and 75 Years of Swedish Glass Art (2000).

Author: Jack Dawson
181 pages
Hardcover
Text in English
8” x 12” (20.3 x 30.5 cm)
Over 150 photos and illustrations
Publisher: WSOY, Finland