After the Second World War, the centres of European glass design shifted from Central Europe, e.g. Bohemia, to the north and south - Italy (Murano), Scandinavia, and Finland. Since the 1950s, the exchange between innovative Northern European design and the supreme craftsmanship of the traditional Murano glassblowers led to collaborations between artist and glass manufacturers. The peak of this blend of southern colour and northern form materialised in the collaboration between the legendary Finnish designers Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) and Timo Sarpaneva (1926-2006) with the Venetian producer Venini.
Over 100 of these designs from the Finnish Glass Museum and made by superlative Muranese masters will be on view for the first time in Austria from 4 October 2010 as part of a special exhibition at the WAGNER:WERK Museum during the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK.