His father, Ilmari Wirkkala, was a cemetery architect, and mother Selma (née Vanhatalo) a wood-carver.

His range was immense, including glassware, stoneware, jewellery, and furniture for mass production, as well as individual sculptures in several media.

In the early 1950s, Wirkkala worked as the artistic director at the Helsinki Central School of Industrial Design.

[3] The WIR lightbulb designed by Wirkkala for Airam Electric [fi] was awarded the Grand Prix at the XII Milan Triennial in 1960.

[4] Among his most famous work have been the designs for the Finlandia vodka bottle (1970–1999)[5] and for Iittala's Ultima Thule set of kitchen glasses.