vintage Ettore Sottsass "Don Lamp" for Stilnovo
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Stilnovo (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 44 in (111.76 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 13 in (33.02 cm)
- Style:Space Age (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Saarbrücken, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6951230109282
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Stilnovo
Though Bruno Gatta founded Stilnovo way back in 1946, it is still one of the most instantly recognizable names in lighting. Gatta (1904–76) began his business in Milan, and, like many European creatives designing furniture and decor in the wake of World War II, he leaned toward the new wave of mass-market and streamlined styles. In fact, Stilnovo loosely translates to “new style” in Italian, and vintage Stilnovo chandeliers, floor lamps and other lighting have endured as a practical choice for those looking to bring innovative and forward-thinking design into their homes.
Soon after Stilnovo was established, Gatta’s lighting fixtures were applauded throughout Europe for their novel industrial materials as well as their unique yet functional shapes. Italy during the mid-20th century was completely revolutionary, and Bruno Gatta and Stilnovo’s head designer, Angelo Gaetano Sciolari, helped shape the era.
When the 1960s arrived, Stilnovo was experiencing such a boom that the company opened a new production plant in Lainate. One of the brand’s most famous pieces, Giovanni Luigi Gorgoni’s quirky 1965 Buonanotte spherical table lamp, became a best seller.
Gatta partnered with some of the most well-known names in design, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Joe Colombo and Gae Aulenti. Sottsass’s pieces for Stilnovo, including the 1977 Valigia four-legged table lamp, the 1968 Lampros chandelier and Manifesto ceiling light, and the Castiglionis’ 1957 Saliscendi pendant light fixtures are some of the brand’s most recognizable to date. In 1978, De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi designed the Fante lamp with an adjustable reflector that playfully recalls a broad-brimmed hat.
Stilnovo’s designs, including Danilo and Corrado Aroldi’s flexible Periscope table lamp, were featured in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art. While Stilnovo continued to operate with new designer collaborations after Gatta’s death, it closed its doors in 1988.
Italian art director Massimo Anselmi acquired the company in 2012 and rereleased several of Stilnovo’s most celebrated pieces. Then in 2019, lighting giant Linea Light Group purchased Stilnovo and relaunched its classic designs with contemporary touches like LED lighting systems.
Find vintage Stilnovo chandeliers and pendants, wall lights, table lamps and other fixtures and furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Saarbrücken, Germany
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Space Age Lamp, Body by Gerd Lange for Fehlbaum 1970sBy Rolf Fehlbaum, Gerd LangeLocated in Saarbrücken, SLVery rare space age design lamp by Gerd Lange for Fehlbaum - Germany.Category
Vintage 1970s German Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- vintage french plywood lamps by Soren Eriksen for Lucid 1980sBy Lucid, Soren EriksenLocated in Saarbrücken, SLLarge floor lamps made of wood and plastic. Model: Harmony Perfect reading lamp with indirect lighting in very good condition with light patina due to age. 1980's - France by Soren Eriksen...Category
Vintage 1980s French Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsPlywood
- Space Age Drive Lamp by Adalberto Dal Lago & Adam Thiani for FrancesconiBy Francesconi Fratelli, Brescia 1, Adam Thiani, Adalberto Dal LagoLocated in Saarbrücken, SL1970s green space age desk lamp Dimensions: 52 cm heigh 22 cm width 14 cm width materials: abs plastic, glass good condition with slight sig...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass, Plastic
- Angelo Lelii, rare table lamp for Arredoluce, 1967By Angelo Lelii, ArredoluceLocated in Saarbrücken, SLSculptural, early postmodern table lamp by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce. The lamp originally came from an apartment in Paris, furnished by the famous interior designer Alberto Pinto. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Nickel, Steel
- Vintage Big Italian Brutalist Marble Lamp, 1980sBy Maison JansenLocated in Saarbrücken, SLBeatiful geometric shaped Carrara marble. Very heavy and quality made piece. Dimensions: 75 cm heigh 47 cm depth 34 width Materials: Italian marble, metal, lacquer shade.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Brutalist Table Lamps
MaterialsMarble
- Vintage Skycraper Table Lamp from Cassandro LucaraLocated in Saarbrücken, SLRare postmodern Skycraper table lamp from Cassandro Modell: Lucara 1980's - Italy.Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Ettore Sottsass classic "Don" lamp for Stilnovo, ItalyBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILThe lamp consists of a relative heavy emerald green cubic base, a white slanted rod and a striking adjustable white shade. This shade is connected to the light bulb with a white lacq...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- Don Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1970sBy Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Rotterdam, NLDon table lamp designed in 1977 by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Stilnovo. The lamp consists of a relative heavy emerald green cubic base, a white ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Don table lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, Italy, 1980sBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Milano, ITThe table lamp "Don" was created by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Stilnovo. The cubic base is emerald green and elegantly extends through a white inclined rod that connects the bas...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Don Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1970sBy Ettore SottsassLocated in London, EnglandEttore Sottsass (1917-2007) was a renowned Italian architect and designer, celebrated for his profound influence on 20th-century design and his pivotal role in the Memphis Group, a g...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Dorane Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for StilnovoBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThis is one of the rarer twin bulb models of the Dorane lamps by the great Italian designer, Ettore Sottsasss, one of the founder members of the 'Memphis' group. Not only is this lam...Category
20th Century Italian Minimalist Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Ettore Sottsass Don LampBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Brooklyn, NYPlayful reading lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo. Aptly called the "Don", this lamp nods (or bows) its straight neck from an emerald cube base, topped by an adjustable shade in t...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal