Saara Hopea was gifted Finnish female designer and jeweler of the Modernist era in the latter half of the 20th century. She was known for her innovatiave glass art and tableware design in 1950 - 1960s, which now is considered as a Modernist classic pieces.
She worked for Nuutjärvi Notsjö glassworks, and her pieces are on the permanent dispaly in many museums, such as Victoria and Albert museum in London, and others.
Saara Elisabet Hopea (1925–1982) was born in Porvoo, Finland, into a family of goldsmiths and craftspeople. She studied interior design in Helsinki in the mid-1940s, graduating in 1946. Early in her career, she worked with renowned lighting designer Paavo Tynell, which laid the foundation for her precise aesthetic and material sensitivity.
Designer at Nuutajärvi
In the early 1950s, Hopea joined Nuutajärvi glassworks under Kaj Franck’s leadership. There, she introduced several notable series, including the Nyppylä (1952), characterized by knobbed relief patterns on flared bowls, and richly colored glassware that remained in production into the 1970s.
One of her best-known designs, the “Panther” vase (c.1957), exemplifies her blend of organic form and clarity. Her work from this period, like those held by MoMA and the Met, exemplifies post-war Finnish Modernism.
Multidisciplinary Creativity
Beyond glass, Hopea practiced silversmithing in her family’s workshop and, after moving to New York in 1960, explored enamelwork on copper. She and her husband, Oppi Untracht, later traveled through Nepal and India, broadening her influence through textiles and metalwork.
Recognition & Legacy
Hopea received silver medals at Milan Triennials in 1954 and 1957, and her pieces are held in major institutions such as the British Museum and MoMA.
Her designs, melding functional simplicity with tactile innovation, remain respected milestones in Nordic design innovation.
