Tom Dixon, Early Pair of Kinetic Gold Leaf Spiral Floor Lamps, UK 1988
About the Item
- Creator:Tom Dixon (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 59 in (149.86 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Gold Leaf,Steel
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1988
- Condition:Refinished. Rewired. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3576322055832
Tom Dixon
Artistic, innovative and entrepreneurial, the self-taught creator Tom Dixon has been a contemporary design-world maverick for more than three decades. From his revolutionary art-meets-design projects of the 1980s and throughout his dynamic and influential career as a designer of furniture, housewares and interiors, the only consistent note has been change. Dixon’s chief fascination is exploring new materials and new ways of constructing things.
Dixon was restless even as a young man. He enjoyed ceramics and drawing in high school but later dropped out of the Chelsea School of Art in London. While repairing his motorcycle in 1983, Dixon learned how to weld and took to the craft. He began making what he has called semi-functional objects from scrap metal (sometime as performance art in a nightclub), then formed a furniture studio–cum–think tank called Creative Salvage. Amid the ritzy excess of the ’80s, Dixon — along with designers such as Tejo Remy and Ron Arad — forged a new, attention-getting aesthetic with furniture made from found materials.
In 1987, Dixon began working for the Italian furniture manufacturer Cappellini, which put his best-known design, the slender, sinuous S chair, into production, followed by such pieces as the Pylon chair (1992), a wire lattice that resembles electrical transmission towers. Starting in the 1990s, Dixon expanded his interests rapidly. He started a company to manufacture the stackable plastic Jack light; joined the housewares retailer Habitat as creative director; and breathed new life into Artek, the venerable Finnish maker that Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino helped cofound. Since 2002, Dixon has run his namesake company fabricating furnishings from novel materials like brass foil-clad wood and “vacuum-metalized” glass.
The hallmark of Dixon’s design is his captivation with the process of creating pieces such as chairs, tables and lighting fixtures. “A kind friend once described me as a ‘vertebrate designer,’” Dixon has said. “That means that I design from the bones outwards and am not really interested in surface.”
Classic Dixon pieces are those that exhibit the manner of their making — from his early work in welded scrap metal to the woven rattan seats and backs of his Fat chair for Cappellini. There are two ways to approach Dixon designs: as a collector, or as a decorator. The former will seek Dixon’s one-off and limited edition works and prototypes. These historical artifacts carry high prices that range from around $8,000 to $50,000 and above. Those more interested in a dynamic look will find that manufactured Dixon designs — such as his Jack lights or his Melt pendant — can be found for prices that range from about $300 to $1,000. Either way, as you will see on 1stDibs, the designs of Tom Dixon have a singular allure that makes them a noteworthy element in any room.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Arredoluce Style Chrome and Marble Triennale Floor Lamp, Italy 1960'sBy ArredoluceLocated in New York, NYStriking, spare, adjustable three-light floor lamp in the style of Arredoluce, with bell jar-shaped industrial polished chrome shades on a subtly tapered shaft rising from a contrast...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Stilnovo: Articulated Minimalist Chrome Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo, Italy 1960'sBy Stilnovo, Joe ColomboLocated in New York, NYJoe Cesare Colombo (1930-1971) Futuristic “Topo” floor lamp by noted Italian industrial designer Joe Colombo for Stilnovo, in chromed metal with ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Extendable Height Floor Lamp in Brass, Red LacquerBy Angelo Lelii, ArredoluceLocated in New York, NYAngelo Lelii (1911-1979) An elegant, adjustable floor lamp by Angelo Lelii (sometimes spelled Angelo Lelli), for his pioneering lighting firm Arredoluce. A graceful tripartite base ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte by Nathalie Grenon Floor Lamp in Glass and Wood, Italy 1990By Fontana Arte, Nathalie GrenonLocated in New York, NYNathalie Grenon (b. 1954) for Fontana Arte A pure and elegant modernist floor lamp designed by French architect Nathalie Grenon for Fontana Arte. A stunning rectangular frame in re...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Singular, Kinetic, Vibrant Blue Geometric Sculpture, Irving Harper, 20th CenturyBy Irving HarperLocated in New York, NYIrving Harper (1916-2015) A striking and spirited painted paper and wood abstract sculpture, reminiscent of Tatlin’s Tower, by influential modernist designer Irving Harper. A legend...Category
20th Century American American Craftsman Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsWood, Paper
- Luigi Caccia Dominioni Rare and Monumental Mikado Table Lamp, Italy, circa 1963By Luigi Caccia DominioniLocated in New York, NYLuigi Caccia Dominioni (1913 - 2016) A rare and monumental Mikado lamp by Milanese architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni, for Azucena. An elegantly stepped nec...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGranite, Metal
- Tom Dixon Life Size Harley Davidson Motorcycle, 1980'sBy Tom DixonLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLLife size Harley Davidson rattan model of a motorcycle, attributed to Tom Dixon USA, Circa 1980s Hand-made sculpture of a motorcycle of woven rattan, willow, reed and wood. This...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBamboo, Rattan
- Life Size Harley Davidson Rattan Model of a Motorcycle, Attributed to Tom DixonBy Tom DixonLocated in West Palm Beach, FLLife size Harley Davidson rattan model of a motorcycle, attributed to Tom Dixon USA, Circa 1980s A Mid-Century Modern life size hand-made sculpture of a motorcycle of woven ratta...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsRattan, Reed, Wood, Willow
- Bone Small Bowl in Brass by Tom DixonBy Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe small bone bowl is part of a series of sculptural artefacts cast in solid brass with a matt finish bearing a bone-like quality. Bone bowls can be displa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Green Italian Large Vintage Pair of Arched Bronze Floor LampsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA green, vintage Art Deco Italian pair of large floor lamps made of handcrafted bronze with a twisted shaft and broad dish, in good condition. The detailed lighting is resting on sty...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsMetal, Bronze
- Bone Extra Large Bowl in Brass by Tom DixonBy Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe extra large bone bowl is part of a series of sculptural artefacts cast in solid brass with a matte finish bearing a bone-like quality. Bone bowls can be displayed on their own as...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBrass
- Set of Two Salvador Dali Surrealist Fine Gold Leaf Bracelli Lamp SculptureBy Salvador Dalí, BD FurnitureLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaSet of Two Braceli lamps designed by Salvador Dali manufactured by BD furniture in Barcelona. Bracelli Panel structure covered with silver plated polyester painting (Fine gold leaf)...Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsCotton
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How Tom Dixon Became a Design Powerhouse without Formal Training
Dixon's eponymous London-based brand is known for its distinctive furniture and lighting, but his creativity is boundless.
The Married Collectors behind Stockholm’s Newest Design Museum
Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow want their new endeavor to educate both students and professionals about furniture design.