Helena Tynell
Hellin Helena Tynell (Turpeinen; 10 December 1918 — 18 January 2016) was a notable Finnish glass designer who has been described as a pioneer of Finnish glass art.
Also recorded as Hellin Helena Tynell
Helena Tynell
Seppo Heinonen · Public domain
- Birth Name
- Hellin Helena Turpeinen
- Born
- 10 December 1918
- Birthplace
- Äänekoski, Finland
- Died
- 18 January 2016
- Place of death
- Tuusula, Finland
- Known for
- Glass design
- Full name
- Hellin Helena Turpeinen.
- Nationality
- Finland.
- Occupation
- designer.
- Education
- Aalto University School of Arts and Design and Architecture.
- Languages
- Finnish.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Hellin Helena Tynell (Turpeinen; 10 December 1918 — 18 January 2016) was a notable Finnish glass designer who has been described as a pioneer of Finnish glass art.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Helena Tynell (1918–2016) was a designer, of Finnish nationality. The designer was born Hellin Helena Turpeinen in Äänekoski and died in Tuusula.
Helena Tynell was educated at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The designer worked for Arabia.
Languages used include Finnish. Works are held at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and Nationalmuseum.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 28 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q4983723 · wikipedia · Helena Tynell
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Hellin Helena Turpeinen • Born — 10 December 1918 • Birthplace — Äänekoski, Finland • Died — 18 January 2016 • Place of death — Tuusula, Finland • Known for — Glass design • Notable Works — Aurinkopullo (1964) • Children — 3
Education
Education
After completing secondary education in 1938, Helena Tynell went on to study model design at the Central School of Industrial Design (Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu), now part of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, graduating in 1943.
Career
Career
Tynell started her career in 1943 designing for Arabia, a leading Finnish housewares and ceramics manufacturer. At the same time, she also worked for Taito (designers), a design bureau part-owned by her future husband and fellow designer, Paavo Tynell. In 1946, having decided to focus exclusively on glass, Tynell left Arabia to join a major Finnish glass manufacturer of the time, Riihimäki Glass, where she stayed for most of her career, and created many of her most notable designs. Finally, in 1976, she moved to Germany, to design for Glashütte Limburg, among others, until her retirement in the early 1990s.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1918
Helena Tynell was born in 1918 at Äänekoski.
2016
Helena Tynell died in 2016 at Tuusula.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Äänekoski.
Birth place
Tuusula.
Death place
Legacy
Tynell is best known for practical designs, purposefully created for large-scale manufacturing and everyday use. However, she herself was more interested in glass sculpture, experimenting with abstract forms, and other artistic pursuits, using both casting and blowing as well as other techniques. One of her best-known designs is a vase called Aurinkopullo ('Sun Bottle'), which was produced in the 1960s and 70s in at least 19 different colours and several sizes. In 2018, to mark the 100th anniversary of Tynell's birth, a limited run of 300 pieces was produced. Tynell's 20th anniversary retrospective exhibition at the Strindbergin taidesalonki ('Strindberg Art Salon') in Helsinki was the first time glass was exhibited in a fine arts gallery in Finland, signifying a certain “coming of age” of Finnish glass art. She exhibited extensively in Finland and internationally. Her works are included in the permanent collections of the Design Museum, Helsinki, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, and the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY, USA.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Helena Tynell”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4983723: Helena Tynell
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Helena Tynell. Helsingin Sanomat. 25 January 2016.
- 2.Koivisto, Kaisa. Suomen kansallisbiografia 10. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. 101–102. 2007. 978-951-746-451-2.
- 3.Tuusulalainen lasitaiteilija Helena Tynell kuoli 97-vuotiaana. Länsiväylä. Keski-Uusimaa. 20 January 2016.
- 4.Yle. "Äidin toive oli, että Aurinkopulloa vielä tehtäisiin uudestaan" – keräilijöiden lasisuosikki tekee paluun sata vuotta suunnittelijansa syntymän jälkeen. 18 April 2018.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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