• Design Forum Finland
• Communications
• Prizes and competitions
  • Fennia Prize
  • Kaj Franck Design Prize
  • Young Designer of the Year prize
  • Estlander
• Exhibitions
• Design Forum Shop
• Opening hours and contact information
• www.finnishdesign.fi

suomeksi

The Kaj Franck Design Prize 1995

Professor Yrjö Kukkapuro

"Bold, in the spirit of the times, creative, innovative" were the comments of the prize jury regarding the work of interior architect Professor Yrjö Kukkapuro (born 1933). Kukkapuro has consistently followed his own path, questioning the starting points of design with regard to form, materials and technology alike. Design by Kukkapuro is not only highly minimized but also boldly in keeping with the contemporary spirit. Functionality is the distinctive feature of chairs designed by him.

Kukkapuro has been a freelance designer since the late 1950s. The Moderno collection, which he designed in 1957-1959 is still in production, over a million of the chairs having been made. Kukkapuro's designs of the 1960s, such as the Karuselli chair, are still being made and are now the focus of new attention with the growing popularity of so-called design antiques.

Throughout his career Kukkapuro has demonstrated his ability for renewal by designing chairs of new kinds and by introducing colour and a varied language of form into chair design. At present, Yrjö Kukkapuro designs for the Avarte company. He has designed chairs for numerous public spaces and facilities, including the Finnish National Opera, which was completed in 1993.

Kukkapuro taught for many years at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and his works have been on show in many international museums and collections. Yrjö Kukkapuro participated in Design Forum's Classic Makers exhibition in 1995 and the Finnish Design 125 Years exhibition in 2000.