Tapio Wirkkala
Finland, 1915 – 1985
Leaf Platter, 1951
Laminated birch wood
3/4 x 18 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches
Produced by Marti Lindqvist, Helsinki
Mark: TW engraved on bottom
Museum Purchase, Frank and Ann Battistella Fund
2008.1

Declared "The most beautiful object of 1951," Tapio Wirkkala's laminated wood platter was designed to suggest the form of a leaf. It was chosen by House Beautiful magazine from all works exhibited by eleven countries at the 1951 International Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Art in Milan. Praised for its simplicity and organic form, it was described as a symphony of movement, effortlessly flowing and perfectly balanced. As pure in form as an abstract sculpture, Wirkkala's platter was also humble and utilitarian. It embodied the highest virtues of modern design. Regarding his core principle of design, elegantly applied to the Leaf Platter, Wirkkala wrote: "All materials have their own unwritten laws. You should never be violent with a material you are working on. The designer should aim at being in harmony with his material."

Inspiration from nature and truth to materials were primary characteristics of Finnish design, which had gained distinction by the 1940s through the work of Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Alto. During the 1950s Scandinavian design gained ascendancy in the United Stated through an exhibition conceived by Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful, and organized by the American Federation for the Arts. Titled "Design in Scandinavia," the exhibition toured twenty-four museums in the United States and Canada from 1954 to 1957. Wirkkala designed the cover of the exhibition catalogue. The Museum of Modern Art was also a champion of Finnish design, featuring Wirkkala's work in both wood and glass in a series of exhibitions from 1950 to 1954 titled "Good Design."