Yrjo Kukkapuro

Yrjö Kukkapuro (1933-) was one of the great protagonists of the most experimental phase in the history of Finnish design. He studied at the Helsinki Institute of Industrial Arts under Ilmari Tapiovaara, who had a strong influence on his style and ideas. After graduating in 1958, he immediately developed a strong interest in plastic materials, then largely unexplored terrain for furniture designers. After several attempts he manages to create the Karuselli Chair (now produced by Artek) conceived to embrace the human body and modeled around its forms. The interest in ergonomics is one of the great distinctive features of Kukkapuro's work, then becoming predominant when in the 1970s the oil crisis caused a major setback in the plastic furniture sector. Kukkapuro devoted himself to physiometric studies and examinations which culminated in the creation of his Fysio chair (1978), one of the first office chairs based solely on advanced concepts of ergonomics. In the 1980s, however, he enthusiastically adhered to the prevailing Post-Modernism, adding a colorful and playful touch to his typical ergonomic armchairs. Kukkapuro also had an important academic career, teaching for a long time at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki until he also became its rector between 1978 and 1980. Most of his creations are now published by the Yrjö Kukkapuro Collection brand, after being produced for many decades by the Avarte brand.