Timo Sarpaneva

Timo Tapani Sarpaneva was born on October 31, 1926, in Helsinki into a family of textile craftsmen. Graduating in graphic design from the Central School of Applied Arts in 1948, he joined Iittala glassworks in 1950, pioneering revolutionary steam-blown and wet-wood mold glass techniques.

Sarpaneva's Kajakki (Kayak) sculpture was hailed by House Beautiful as 'the most beautiful object of 1954'. In 1956, he designed the red lowercase 'i' inside a white circle for his i-line glassware, which became Iittala's universally recognized corporate logo. His 1960 cast-iron casserole with a detachable curved teak handle and his textured Festivo candleholders are celebrated internationally.