Yrjö Kukkapuro
A pair of A-500 chairs for Avarte. Design year 1985.
Black faux leather upholstery, metal tubes and black painted plywood. Height to seat 52 cm, width 56 cm, height 97 cm. Manufacturer's label.
One is a bit wobbly, misses two screws under the seat. Upholstery with defects and wear. Armrests worn, later painting.
Designer
Yrjö Kukkapuro is a Finnish interior architect and furniture designer with a prolific career spanning over 65 years. He gained fame primarily through his experimental design and ergonomic philosophy, focusing on ecological values and the inherent qualities of materials. Born in 1933 in Vyborg, Kukkapuro studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, later becoming a teacher there. Eventually, he served as the rector from 1978 to 1980.
Kukkapuro is perhaps best known for his chairs, with one of the most famous being the "Karuselli" from 1964. The chair was dubbed the "Most Comfortable Chair in the World" by The New York Times in 1974 and is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.