Kirsti Ilvessalo (after marriage, Kirsti Ilvessalo-Viljakainen; 25 May 1920 – 5 July 2019) was a Finnish

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

, best known for her ryijy. She received awards at the

Triennale di Milano The Triennale di Milano is a design and art museum in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the Palazzo dell'Arte, which was designed by Giovanni Muzio and built between 1931 and 1933; construction was fi ...

(1951, 1954, 1960), and the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

(1979).

Biography

Kirsti Päivi Ilvessalo was born in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

on 25 May 1920. She received her education at the

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Aalto is a Finnish surname meaning "wave". Notable people with the surname include: * Aino Aalto (1894–1949), Finnish architect and designer * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat * Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), Finnish architect and designe ...

1940–1944. Ilvessalo was a leader in the Friends of Finnish Handicraft association during the period of 1947 to 1952. Subsequently, she opened her own textile studio. She taught textile composition at the School of Art and Design in 1947–1960. She was best known for her ryijy, which appeared in several foreign museums (including the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm). She also composed and manufactured interior textiles for a number of public buildings. She also designed jewelry and wallpaper. Ilvessalo won the gold medal at the Triennale di Milano in 1951 and 1960 as well as the Grand Prix in 1954. In 1979, she was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland. She died on 5 July 2019.

Awards

* 1951, Gold Medal, Triennale di Milano * 1954, Grand Prix, Triennale di Milano * 1960, Gold Medal, Triennale di Milano * 1979, Order of the Lion of Finland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilvessalo, Kirsti 1920 births 2019 deaths Aalto University alumni Artists from Helsinki Finnish textile artists Recipients of the Order of the Lion of Finland