Lampada da tavolo Mod. Atollo 235 di Vico Magistretti per Oluce - Italia - 1977
About the Item
- Creator:Vico Magistretti (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Diameter: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970 circa
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9376239653972
Atollo Table Lamp
For such a revered piece of lighting design, the Atollo lamp is impressively simple, comprising just three forms: a cylinder, a cone and a dome, stacked so neatly atop one another that the dome appears to hover above the fixture on its own. This sculptural table lamp, an outwardly geometric tour de force from postwar Italy that produces warm diffused light, was created by prolific industrial designer and architect Vico Magistretti (1920–2006).
Born in Milan to a family of architects — both his father and grandfather worked in the profession — Magistretti studied architecture in both his hometown at the Polytechnic University of Milan and at the Champ Universitaire Italien in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a young man during World War II. In Switzerland, he met architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers, who served as his mentor and role model. The younger designer was deeply moved by Rogers’s humanist ideals to revitalize a postwar Italy: The two would later work together on the urban planning of a number of working-class neighborhoods in Milan with Rogers’s firm BBPR. Magistretti also participated in the creation of QT8, an experimental neighborhood in Milan conceived at the Milan Triennial, for which he designed a church.
After he graduated from Polytechnic in 1945, Magistretti worked at his father’s practice, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that he recognized his interest in furniture design. (He would return to architecture and urban design projects in the ’80s and ’90s.) He collaborated with Cesare Cassina for more than 30 years, designing for Cassina’s eponymous firm the successful Carimate chair and the Maralunga sofa as well as Cassina’s villas in the commune of Carimate. Magistretti also found a successful partner in Artemide, for whom he designed the Eclisse lamp, which won the 1967 Compasso d’Oro. In 1979, Magistretti would win another Compasso d’Oro award for his Atollo table lamp, perhaps his most enduring work.
The decorative and versatile Atollo — which was available in three sizes, in milky white opal glass as well as aluminum — was designed in 1977 and produced by Oluce, where it is also manufactured today and offered in multiple finishes. The Atollo table lamp is held in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Die Neue Sammlung in Munich.
Vico Magistretti
As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.
Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.
When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.
In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.
Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.
“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.
Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.
Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Lampada Alogena da Terra con Grande Lastra di Vetro - Relco Italia - Anni '80By Relco MilanoLocated in Milano, ITLampada a marchio Relco Milano. Produzione anni '80 circa. Fusto trasparente composto da una singola lastra di vetro spesso circa 20mm, sollevato su una base di ferro verniciato di n...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Specchio da parete di Campo e Graffi per Disegno Graffi Home, Italia, anni '50By Franco Campo & Carlo GraffiLocated in Milano, ITSpecchio da parete di Campo e Graffi per Disegno Graffi Home, Italia, anni '50Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Wood
- Lampada da Terra in Ottone e Metallo - Stilnovo - Italia - Anni '50By StilnovoLocated in Milano, ITLampada da terra in ottone e base conica in ghisa coperta da calotta in ottone. Dentro il suo paralume in tessuto, porta due lampadine E27. Etichetta originale.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Specchio in ottone di Adalberto Caraceni per Modernindustria - Italia - Anni '70By Modern IndustryLocated in Milano, ITADALBERTO CARACENI Specchio per Modernindustria anni '70 Ottone, vetro specchiato. L'azienda produceva mobili salotti e complementi d'arredo e si t...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- Coppia di letti sovrapposti “L75” - Osvaldo Borsani per Tecno - Italia - Anni 60By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Milano, ITI letti modello L75 disegnati da Osvaldo Borsani negli anni '60 e prodotti da Tecno rappresentano un esempio iconico del design italiano di quel periodo. Osvaldo Borsani, noto per il...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsMetal
- Grande Lampada ad Arco Regolabile - Reggiani, Italia, 1970By Goffredo ReggianiLocated in Milano, ITGrande lampada ad arco regolabile in altezza e lunghezza, con luce orientabile, in metallo cromato e base in cemento. Produzione italiana, anni '70, attribuita a Reggiani. Altezza ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Floor Lamps
MaterialsCement, Metal, Chrome
- Eclisse Lampada da tavolo di Vico Magistretti per ArtemideBy Artemide, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Lucca, ITEclisse Arancio Lampada da tavolo di Vico Magistretti produzione Artemide Italia 1960. Lampada Eclisse è una lampada iconica disegnata da Vico Magistretti e prodotta da Artemide isp...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Lampada da tavolo Telegono Artemide, Vico MagistrettiBy Vico MagistrettiLocated in Palermo, ITLampada da tavolo Telegono vintage, disegnata dal famoso Vico Magistretti per Artemide nel 1969. La base è realizzata in plastica rossa mentre il paralume è in plastica bianca. Il pa...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsPlastic
- Vico Magistretti for Oluce "Atollo 235" Table Lamp, Italy 1970sBy Vico Magistretti, OluceLocated in Naples, ITTable lamp providing direct and diffused light in opaline Murano glass. Conceived in 1977 by Vico Magistretti, Atollo has over the years become the archetype of the table lamp, winni...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Glass Table Lamp Atollo 235 by Vico Magistretti for OluceBy Vico Magistretti, OluceLocated in Vienna, ATThe Atollo table lamp (1977) is distinguished by its minimal geometric construction. The worldwide imitated and yet inimitable lamp won numerous awards, and it can also be found as a...Category
2010s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Lampada da tavolo di Theodor Neumaier per Lamperti, 1970s.By LampertiLocated in Baranzate, ITRara lampada da tavolo in metacrilato e plexiglas. Progettata e prodotta in Italia, Conserva la firma del designer. Produzione Lamperti anni 1970.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsPlastic
- Vico Magistretti 'Atollo' Opaline Glass Table Lamp for OluceBy Oluce, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Glendale, CAVico Magistretti 'Atollo' opaline glass table lamp for Oluce. Originally designed in 1977, this iconic re-edition is still crafted by Oluce in I...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal