Born in Wyborg in 1933
Professional studies in Helsinki Institute of Industrial Art, interior architect 1955-58
Own freelancer agency, Design Studio Kukkapuro 1959-
Academic career
- Institute of Craft and Design, lecturer 1963-69
- Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Architecture, lecturer 1969-74
- University of Art and Design, Helsinki, professor 1974-80, rector 1978-80, specialist lecturer 1983-
- Artist professor 1988-1993
Awards and prices
- The scholarship for Art and Literature, City of Helsinki 1963
- Scandinavian Lunning Prize 1966
- The Design award of the Republic of Finland 1970
- First Prize, the Furniture Competition of Scandinavian Interior Magazines 1972
- First Prize, the Chair Competition, the New York Magazine 1974
- The Illum Prize, Copenhagen 1977
- Gold Medal, BRNO International Fair 1981
- Artek Prize, Alvar Aalto Foundation 1982
- Pro Finlandia medal, The President of the Republic of Finland 1983
- IBD award, USA 1984
- Copenhagen Prize
- Finnish Interior Designers SIO 1985
- ORNAMO Prize, The Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo, Finland 1991
- Kaj Franck Design Prize, Design Forum, Finland 1995
- The Design Center Nordrhein-Westfalen: Best selection: office design, 2001
- Landesbaupreis Mecklenburg (Concert Hall Marienkirche, Neubrandenburg), 2002
- Honorary Member of Royal Society of Arts, 2002
Works in permanent collections
- Museum of Modern Art, New York 1965 (Ateljee)
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1971 and 1984 (Karuselli, Remmi)
- Museum of Applied Arts, Helsinki 1979 and 1981 (Fysio, Skaala)
- Museum of Arts and Crafts, Hamburg 1983 and 1996 (Fysio, Alnus Poster)
- Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen 1983 and 1987 (Experiment, A505)
- Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg 1987 (A504)
- Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 1989 (Experiment)
- The Israel Museum, Jerusalem 1990 (Sirkus)
- Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein 1991 (Karuselli 412)
- Listasafn Islands, Reykjavik, 1999 (Long Chair)
- Design Museum Gent, Gent, 2000 (Karuselli)
- Museo Casabianca, Museo della grafica d'arte, Malo Vicenza, 2002 (Tattooed Chair)
Private exhibitions and invitations for special exhibitions
- Home for the Future, exhibition designed by Antti Nurmesniemi, Helsinki, 1957
- 12. Milan Triennial, 1960
- Ornamo 50th Anniversary Exhibition, 1962
- Jubilee Exh. of 75 years of Finnish Design, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, 1963
- Touring Exhibition Finlandia, 1963-1969
- Contemporary Furniture Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York 1965
- Eurodomus I, Genova 1966
- Vijftig Jaar Zitten, Stedlijk Museum, Amsterdam 1966
- Art of Living, SAD, Grand Palais 1967
- Touring Exhibition, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach CA, 1967-68
- Eurodomus II, Torino 1968
- 14. Milan Triennial, 1968
- Espace et Lumiére, Grand Palais 1969
- Eurodomus III, Milan, 1970
- Modern Chair Exhibition, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1970
- Design and Plastics Exhibition, Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague, 1972
- Finsk miljo, Kunstindustrimuseum, Copenhagen, 1972
- S'asseoir-Exhibition, Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble, 1974
- Finnterior, Ryodo Center, Tokyo, 1974
- Finnish Design (Weeks of Finnish Culture), Warsaw, 1974
Finski dizajn, Muzej savreme umetnosti, Belgrade, 1975
Finnish Society of Art and Craft 100 years, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, 1975
- Metamorphoses Finlandaises, Pompidou Center, Paris 1978
- Form und Struktur Exhibition, Vienna, Nuremburg, Budapest, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, 1980-81
- Form and Structure, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki 1981
- Habiter, c'est vivre, Grand Palais, Paris, 1981
- Gallery Vognpremissen, private exhibition, Oslo 1984
- Homo decorans, Louisiana Museum for Moderne Kunst, Humlebaek, 1985
- The Magic Room, private exhibition, Binnen Gallery, Amsterdam 1987
- The Surrum, private exhibition, Röhsska Museet, Gothenburg 1990
- Design Industriel Finlandais, Pompidou Center, Paris 1990
- Nordform -90, Malmö, 1990
- Scandinavian Design Center, private exhibition, Düsseldorf 1992
- Design and Identity - Aspects of European Design', Louisiana Museum for Moderne Kunst, Humlabaek, 1996
- Design Nordic Way, Kalmar 1996
- 5x5 Stoelen, de klassiekers van het Finse modernisme, Design Museum Gent, Gent, 1999
- The Most Important 99 Design Objects in the 20th Century, Louvre, Paris, 1999
- Find, (European Cultural Cities of the Year 2000 Exhibition) simultaneously in Helsinki, Avignon, Bergen, Bologna, Brussels, Krakow, Prague, Santiagode Compostela, Reykjavik
- Finnish Design Fiskars, 2000
- Tattooed chairs -exhibition, Stockholm, Helsinki, Lahti, 2000, Malo Vicenza, 2002, Crespano del Grappa, 2003, Lisboa, 2006
- Q - Designing the Quietness: Contemporary Finnish Design, Ozone Living Design Center, Tokyo, 2003
- Scandinavian Design beyond the Myth, travelling exhibition 2003-2006
- 25-years Jubilee Collection, Galerie Binnen, Amsterdam, 2007
- Furniture, private exhibition, Helsinki Design Museum, Helsinki, 2008 |
