Neal Small for Koch & Lowy Aluminum and Steel Skyscraper Floor Lamp, 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Neal Small (Designer),Koch & Lowy (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:110-150v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Bainbridge, NY
- Reference Number:
Koch & Lowy
Collectors know Koch & Lowy for its eye-catching sold brass five-arm chandeliers, sleek chrome swing-arm floor lamps and clever table lamps with marble bases. With a wide range of sculptural mid-century modern and 1970s-era fixtures created by the likes of George Nelson, Karl Springer, Piotr Sierakowski and others, the American lighting manufacturer elevated the design of furniture and home decor from the postwar era onward.
Ernest Lowy founded Koch & Lowy in New York in 1946, initially running the firm with his son, Thomas. Over the years, collaborations with notable designers such as American artist Neal Small — known as the “Prince of Plastic” for his innovative use of Plexiglas and Lucite — yielded iconic pieces such as Koch & Lowy’s biomorphic, clear-glass pendant lights and wall sconces for German manufacturer Peill and Putzler as well as the rare Half Nelson table lamp.
Created by George Nelson — an architect, journalist and designer who brought a slew of legendary designers to Herman Miller while he was director of design at the company — the Half Nelson table lamp, with its striking form and shade of spun aluminum, was originally designed in 1950 as part of an architectural project of Nelson’s on Long Island. Koch & Lowy put it into production in the late 1970s.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Koch & Lowy floor lamps gained wide acclaim. Neal Small’s architectural aluminum periscope Skyscraper floor lamp and their Pharmacy tent floor lamp, which Thomas Lowy admitted he copied unwittingly from Omaha architect Cedric Hartman, were particularly popular.
“I’d bought a tent [lamp] in Italy, but it had been made so badly that I decided to make a better one,” Lowy explained to the New York Times in 1976. “I didn’t know that the Italian one wasn’t original. I didn’t know it was a copy of Hartman’s design.”
Nevertheless, Koch & Lowy enjoyed success designing and producing innovative lighting fixtures and other furniture such as the brutalist Mirage coffee table, created by Polish designer and head of Koch & Lowy’s design department, Piotr Sierakowski.
While Thomas Lowy sold the company in the 1990s, the brand’s impact on modernist lighting design endures.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Koch & Lowy lighting and tables.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Bainbridge, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Neal Small for Koch & Lowy Marble Table Lamp with Swivel Chrome ShadeBy Koch & Lowy, Neal SmallLocated in Bainbridge, NYAmerican Modern Neal Small attributed, Koch & Lowy carrara marble and chrome tilt shade table lamp. Late 20th century adjustable Chrome cylinder shade on square (3 W x 3 D) White marble base. Bookcase. Spot Art...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCarrara Marble, Chrome
- Peill and Putzler for Koch & Lowy Illuminating White Glass Table Lamp, 1970sBy Koch & Lowy, Peill & PutzlerLocated in Bainbridge, NYGerman modern Peill & Putzler for Koch & Lowy white glass table lamp with illuminated base. Featuring an elliptical translucent Glass form with interior light. Versatile. Desk. Den. ...Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsNickel
- Monumental Neal Small Op Art "Sphere in Cube" Lucite Floor Lamp Sculpture, 1960sBy Neal SmallLocated in Bainbridge, NYLarge Neal Small Illuminating Floating Orb Lucite Floor Light Sculpture. Featuring a rectangular form with square White Lucite base, clear square...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsLucite
- George Nelson for Koch Lowy "Eyeshade" Desk Lamp, 1970'sBy Koch & Lowy, George NelsonLocated in Bainbridge, NYModern George Nelson for Koch & Lowy Adjustable Perforated Aluminum & Black Enamel Table Lamp. Featuring a perforated Black enameled Aluminum cylinder mesh shade, Off White interior,...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome, Steel
- David Wurster for Raymor Steel & Gray Enamel Aluminum Torchiere, Early 1950sBy Raymor, David WursterLocated in Bainbridge, NYTall David Wurster for Raymor uplight floor lamp. Featuring a slim lacquered steel stem, gray enameled aluminum single cone shade and original round wooden knob. Single socket. Origi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel, Aluminum
- Pair Sperti Inc. Raymond Loewy Style Aluminum & Cast Iron Adjustable Floor LampsBy Sperti 1, (after) Raymond LoewyLocated in Bainbridge, NYPair of Sperti Sunlamp Inc. adjustable, repurposed light therapy Floor Lamps in the style of Raymond Loewy. Featuring articulating machined grooved Clam Shell Aluminum Reflector Shades, tilting lamp...Category
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Iron
- American Mid Century Triad Skyscraper Floor Lamp by Koch & Lowy, USA 1970sBy Koch & Lowy, Neal Small, Pat Hoffman, Neal Small Design Studio, Vladimir KaganLocated in Miami, FLSculptural triad skyscraper floor lamp rendered in three anodized aluminum tubes at alternating heights creating an undulating skyline appearance each with an internal light bulb giv...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Koch & Lowy Adjustable Floor LampBy Koch & LowyLocated in Palm Springs, CAChrome Floor lamp with black base and two black and chrome adjustable shades. Designed by Koch & LowyCategory
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Koch & Lowy OMI Floor Lamp, 1970sBy Koch & LowyLocated in Den Haag, NLElegant Koch & Lowy OMI floor standing reading lamp in white and brass, 1970s. Very rare model.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Koch & Lowy Style Patinated Brass Floor LampBy Koch & LowyLocated in Los Angeles, CABrass floor lamp in the style of Koch & Lowy. The floor lamp features a cylindrical shade with a swing arm which allows for directional lighting. The lamp sits on a round base and ha...Category
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Floor Lamp by Koch & Lowy for OMI, 1970sBy Koch & LowyLocated in Praha, CZMade in Germany Made of chrome Re-polished Fully functional Very rare model Good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Vintage Floor Lamp by Koch & Lowy for OMI, 1970sBy Koch & LowyLocated in Praha, CZMade in Germany Made of chrome Re-polished Fully functional New eletric Good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome