Yrjö Kukkapuro, a renowned Finnish designer whose postmodern style of chairs adorned waiting rooms, offices, and living rooms throughout Finland, as well as collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has passed away. He was 91 years old.
His death on Saturday at his home on the outskirts of Helsinki was confirmed by his daughter, Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom, in an email to The Associated Press on Sunday, as well as in a statement from Studio Kukkapuro, where she serves as the curator. The cause of death was not disclosed.
"Almost every Finn has sat on a chair he designed, whether in a subway station, on a bench, in school, or in a library," the studio said in a press release. "Yrjö Kukkapuro never stopped designing and conceiving new ideas. Until the end, he reflected on the concept of his new chair, the plan of which he had clear in his mind. His assistant did not have time to draw the chair."
Throughout a career spanning over 70 years, Kukkapuro's chairs were praised for their comfort, functionality, and ergonomics, as well as their design, featuring names like Ateljee, Karuselli-chair, Long Chair, and, the most famous one, the Experiment.
Designed in 1982, the Experiment chair was considered avant-garde but eventually became a commercial success and was seen as a key turning point for postmodern furniture style. The Experiment includes decorative wavy armrests in bright colors, upholstered backrest and seat, and its characteristic tilted seat despite the frame being flat on the floor.
Although initial production ceased in the 1990s, the European furniture design brand Hem sought permission from Kukkapuro in 2021 to reproduce it with minor adjustments in scale and construction.
"We are saddened by the news of Yrjö's passing, and our thoughts are with his family," said Hem's founder and CEO Petrus Palmér in an email to AP. "He was a pioneer in furniture design and showed us that a non-conformist approach is the only way to achieve a lasting legacy."
The Experiment chair was being sold for up to 2,399 euros on Hem's website on Sunday, where a description described it as "timeless, bold, and as convincing today as the day it was created."
"In the Experiment chair, Kukkapuro sought to add art to functionality, to satisfy romantic tastes along with meeting essential needs," the description reads. "The result is striking, authentic, a design hero of the 20th century."
Kukkapuro designed his family's studio and home to feature a wave-shaped roof and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Built in the late 1960s for him and his wife, the artist Irmeli Kukkapuro, who passed away in 2022, it is set to become a museum next year.