Vuokko Hillevi Lilian Eskolin-Nurmesniemi (born 12 February 1930 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

) is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

designer. She is best known for her work as one of the two leading designers of the

Marimekko Marimekko Oyj is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951. Marimekko made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored pri ...

company. Her signature striped ''Jokapoika'' shirt helped to make the company's name.

Biography

Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi studied ceramics at the Institute of Industrial Arts (in Finnish: ''Taideteollinen oppilaitos'') in Helsinki, Finland. After graduating, she designed glassware and ceramics for

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

and Nuutajärvi. In 1957, she received a gold medal at the

Milan Triennial XI The Milan Triennial XI was the Triennial in Milan of 1957 sanctioned by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE). Its theme was ''Improving the Quality of Expression in Today’s Civilisation''. Contents There was a survey of sculpture of th ...

for her glassware. Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi joined the Finnish company

in 1953. She designed

patterns A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

for many of their printed

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

in the 1950s; together with

Maija Isola Maija Sofia Isola (15 March 1927 – 3 March 2001) was a Finnish designer of printed textiles, and the creator of over 500 patterns, including ''Unikko'' ("Poppy"). The bold, colourful prints she created as the head designer of Marimekko made t ...

, she was responsible for most of Marimekko's patterns. Nurmesniemi's signature product was a simply striped red and white shirt named ''Jokapoika'', in 1956; she went on to create a large number of striking designs. Nurmesniemi left Marimekko in 1960 due to conflicts with Marimekko founder

Armi Ratia Armi Maria Ratia née Airaksinen (13 July 1912 – 3 October 1979) was the co-founder of the Finnish textile and clothing company Marimekko Oy. She is among Finland's most famous female entrepreneurs. She was born in Pälkjärvi in Ladoga Kareli ...

. She founded her own company, Vuokko Oy, in 1964, and designed textiles as well as ready-to-wear clothing and accessories. This company closed its doors in 1988. In 1990 Nurmesniemi founded a second company, Vuokko Nurmesniemi Oy. She received the Milan Triennial XIII grand prix and

Lunning Prize The Lunning Prize was instituted by Frederik Lunning, owner of the New York agency for Georg Jensen. The prize was awarded to eminent Scandinavian designers, two each year, from 1951 to 1970. The recipients were selected by a group of peers fro ...

for design in 1964, the

Prince Eugen Medal The Prince Eugen Medal ( sv, Prins Eugen-medaljen) is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V, in connection with the eightieth birthd ...

in 1986 and the Kaj Franck Design Prize in 1997. She was married to designer

Antti Nurmesniemi Antti Aarre Nurmesniemi (30 August 1927 in Hämeenlinna – 11 September 2003 in Helsinki) was a Finnish designer. He is perhaps best known for his coffee pots and his interior design work. Biography Antti Nurmesniemi's work includes enamel c ...

until his death in 2003.

Museums and exhibitions

A selection of her designs are in the permanent collection at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

.Metropolitan Museum of Art: Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi
Retrieved 5 October 2012. In the summer of 2009, the Röhsska museum in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, held an exhibition of her designs.

Reception

Ted Hesselbom of the Swedish Röhsska Museum wrote of Vuokko's Retrospective in 2009:

Bibliography

* Jackson, Lesley. ''Twentieth Century Pattern Design''. Princeton Architectural Press, 2007.

References

External links

US.Marimekko.com: Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi
(images of Vuokko designs) 1930 births Living people Artists from Helsinki Finnish designers Textile designers Finnish fashion designers Finnish women fashion designers Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal {{designer-stub