Tripod Floor Lamp by Gerald Thurston
View Similar Items
Tripod Floor Lamp by Gerald Thurston
About the Item
- Creator:Gerald Thurston (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 44 in (111.76 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950's
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Cathedral City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU85911182952
Gerald Thurston
As the leading designer at Lightolier during the postwar building and design boom, Gerald Thurston created his clever lighting — sleek floor lamps, table lamps and desk lamps— to suit the American lifestyles of 1950s and 1960s. His designs were at the forefront of the mid-century modern lighting revolution — like much of the visionary work being done at the time in furniture and interiors, Thurston’s fixtures are both elegant and totally innovative, reflecting the exploration of new ideas and new technology that consumed designers of the era.
Thurston eventually led a stellar team of international lighting designers at Lightolier. He was important to the pioneering East Coast-based electric lighting company, and rumor has it that because he sketched every design on craft paper, the manufacturer insured his right hand for one million American dollars.
While enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s, where he earned his degree in industrial design, Thurston worked as a freelance designer for the Zenith Radio Corporation. Once he graduated, he found a position at the New Metal Craft Company. There he designed custom lighting fixtures and decorative objects for architects and interior designers.
Lightolier enticed Thurston to join them in approximately 1950. That same year, New York’s Museum of Modern Art featured a green floor lamp of his in their Good Design Exhibition of 1950. The sculptural lamps that Thurston created for Lightolier are representative of his interest in Scandinavian modernist lighting as well as the revolutionary designs produced by postwar Italian companies such as Arredoluce and Arteluce. (Lightolier partnered with the latter, and Thurston found inspiration in the work of Arteluce founder Gino Sarfatti.)
During Thurston’s decades-long tenure with Lightolier, he became internationally known for his many designs. His modernist fixtures are characterized by clean lines, vibrant colors and an appealing meld of metals and rich woods. His slender-legged Lightolier Tripod floor lamp, introduced in the 1960s, garnered widespread acclaim, while his whimsical Cricket lamp, with its arthropodan shade and slim brass frame, is wholly versatile — it can be hung as a sconce or positioned on a desk and offers direct or diffused light.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Gerald Thurston lighting, decorative objects and more.
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Tripod Floor LampBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Fraser, MIPlease feel free to reach out for accurate shipping to your location. Tripod Floor Lamp. Designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier.Category
Vintage 1950s Floor Lamps
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass Tripod Floor Lamp, 1950sBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Bainbridge, NYEarly Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass Tripod Reading Floor Lamp with White Linen Shade. Featuring a joined tripod, three legged patinated Brass framework, Off-White enameled dif...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Gerald Thurston Lightolier Floor LampBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in New York, NYClassic Mid Century floor lamp, designed by Gerald Thurston , manufactured by Lightolier, circa 1950/1960's. This example features a sculpted tri pod base of solid brass, solid walnu...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Gooseneck Floor Lamp Gerald ThurstonBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Brooklyn, NYDouble Gooseneck floor lamp in the style of Gerald Thurston. The lamp features black-enameled brass, gooseneck stems, and is in good vintage cond...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass, Enamel
$999 Sale Price20% Off - Black Gooseneck Floor Lamp by Gerald ThurstonBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Palm Springs, CABlack powder coated gooseneck floor lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. Newly rewired and powder coated black. It takes two 75w Max Edison light bulbs. Measurements: 40.75” ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Floor LampBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Hanover, MAMid-1950's three light floor lamp produced by Lightolier and designed by Gerald Thurston. The style of the pierced polished brass tapered bowls appears to have been influenced by the...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsCopper, Brass