In 1950, Finland's best-known glass manufacturer, Iittala, hired Sarpaneva to design and exhibit works made by the firm. Over the next ten years, their designs won numerous prestigious awards, most notably those of the Milan Triennale. Trained as an industrial designer and not as a craftsman, Sarpaneva supplied Iittala's skilled workmen with artistic yet functional designs intended for multiple production. Through the cool, sculptural elegance of his designs and the high quality of their execution, Sarpaneva celebrates the purity and natural beauty of the material.

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