Modern + Contemporary + Design | October 13, 2022
Thu, Oct 13, 2022 09:00AM EDT
Lot 104
Rare Large Birger Kaipiainen Avian Sculpture
Estimate: $60,000 - $90,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
(Finnish, 1915-1988)
Curlew, signed on steel base "Kaipiainen", patinated steel, wire, ceramic clocks and beads, 34 x 35 x 14 in.
Note: Designer and ceramicist Birger Kaipiainen was one of the most prestigious and internationally successful ceramic artists in Finland. Birger Kaipiainen enrolled in art school to study scenography in 1933 but eventually graduated as ceramicist and decorative artist in 1937. After graduation he was invited to join the Arabia art department. Except for a few years spent abroad, Kaipiainen worked for Arabia all his life. The art department was a haven of fine art within the factory, playing a key role in the international success of Finnish applied art in the 1950s and 1960s. Kaipiainen also won international acclaim: he received an honorary Dipl“me d?Honneur in 1951 and the Grand Prix at the 1960 Milan Triennale, as well as the Grand Prix at the 1967 Montreal Expo. Back home the ?prince of ceramics? was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal in 1963 and the title of professor in 1977. (Birger Kaipiainen - Turku Art Museum (turuntaidemuseo.fi)
Provenance: Private Collection, Washington, D.C., purchased circa 1955
Condition
some corrosion on base
