Mid-Century Modern Table Lamp by Gerald Thurston
About the Item
- Creator:Lightolier (Maker),Gerald Thurston (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 40.5 in (102.87 cm)Diameter: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s-1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original, clean, working condition - shade not included.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU978716428651
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.
Lightolier
Founded in 1904 in New York and family-operated through most of its history, Lightolier was one of the pioneering American electric lighting companies, best known for its embrace of stylistic and technical innovations.
Collectors focus on vintage Lightolier lighting fixtures produced from the 1950s and into the 1970s, when an in-house design team led by Gerald Thurston — and a stellar cast of international design contributors — created an array of practical yet aesthetically lively table lamps, floor lamps, sconces and chandeliers.
Amidst the post-World War II building boom, Lightolier — the name combines “light” and “chandelier” — aggressively boosted its residential lighting division. Thurston, who was strongly influenced by the sleek designs of Gino Sarfatti and his Italian lighting firm Arteluce, towards simpler lamp designs that offered flexibility of function. His best-known designs include the Cricket task light — a lamp with an adjustable enameled metal hood that toggles on a slender bent-metal base — and the three-legged Tripod floor lamp. At the same time, Thurston had a wonderful eye for talent and sought work from some of the lesser-known greats of the era, such as Paavo Tynell, the Finnish lighting designer, who designed several brass chandeliers for Lightolier with his trademark elegant flamboyance.
And more, Thurston recognized abilities in designers not known for their work in lighting.
Edward Wormley, head of furniture design for Dunbar, produced several noteworthy chandeliers employing canisters and reflective hoods. Alvin Lustig was famed as a graphic designer. His ca. 1953 Ring ceiling fixture for Lightolier had a minimalist techno look some 30 years ahead of its time. But this was par. Designed by Michael Lax in 1964, the Lytegem high-intensity lamp — included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art — features a ball-shaped shade attached with a chromed armature to a cubic base, a form that would be widely copied in the following decade. Chandeliers designed in the early 1970s by Gaetano Sciolari, with details such as acrylic diffusers and vertical, two-bulb arms, would define the look of lighting in their day.
A look through these pages reveals just how astonishingly wide a range of lighting pieces Lightolier produced. The company never flicked off its stylistic switch.
Find a collection of vintage Lightolier lamps and other lighting fixtures on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cohoes, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Mid Century Table Lamp by Gerald ThurstonBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYTall elegant elongated table lamp having a metal base, bulbous wood body, and brass neck section. Diameter of base 7 inch x diameter of body 4.5 i...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Mid Century Mushroom Form Table Lamp att. to Gerald Thurston c 1950'sBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYChic architectural Mid Century dome top table lamp, attributed to Gerald Thurston, for Lightolier - circa 1950/1960's. The lamp features a circular domed top shade, which rests on a ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Pr Mid Century Hollywood Regency Table Lamps by Gerald Thurston for LightolierBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in New York, NYIncredible pair of Mid Century, Hollywood Regency table lamps designed by Gerald Thurston, for Lightolier circa 1950/1960's. This rare form is referred to as Floriform, this pair is ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Ceramic and Brass Table LampBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYElegant and chic, quilted ceramic body with brass base and top. Excellent overall condition, slight bruise on brass base, as shown. Base accepts three bulbs to provide ample light. S...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Tri Pod Table Lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier C 1950sBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in New York, NYClassic midcentury table lamp designed by Gerald Thurston, made by Lightolier, circa 1950s. The lamp has a three leg, tripod form base of black rods, which support interior diffusers...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Ceramic Table Lamp, ca. 1950/ 1960'sBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYChic and stylish ceramic and brass table lamp, attributed to Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. The lamp is in excellent, clean, and working condition, and comes complete with its origi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Mid Century Table Lamp by Gerald ThurstonBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYMid century Hourglass lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier with Lucite base, ceramic body and brass fittings. New 3 way brass socket and w...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Mid Century Modern Lightolier Tripod Table Lamp Gerald Thurston 1954 "Profile"By Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Peoria, AZMAGNIFICENT! Lightolier Tripod Table Lamp Brass & Walnut Gerald Thurston Designer 1954 Here is a marvelous Mid Century Modern Icon! The 1954 Tripod Brass & Walnut Table Lamp by ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Mid-Century Modern Hourglass Table Lamps by Gerald ThurstonBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of striking, Mid-Century Modern, table lamps by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier feature brown and beige ceramic hourglass bodies with brass accents - base, neck, pull chains and ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Table Lamp attr. Gerald Thurston for LightolierBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Trenton, NJIlluminate your home with the elegance of mid-century modern design with this ceramic and brass table lamp, attributed to the iconic Gerald Thurston as designed for Lightolier. This ...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Gerald Thurston Mid-Century Modern Wishbone Lamp with Original ShadeBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Chattanooga, TNRare opportunity to buy a Gerald Thurston wishbone lamp with the original period shade. The Thurston Wishbone lamp has become an iconic lamp of the Mid-Century Modern movement. The A...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Mid Century Danish Modern Table Lamp! Gerald Thurston Era 1950s Brass & WoodBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Peoria, AZGORGEOUS! SCULPTURED DANISH MODERN SLEEK SHAPED WOOD & BRASS TABLE LAMP! SUPER CLEAN LINES & STYLE! BEAUTIFUL! ( DIMENSIONS: APPROX. 33" TALL 18" WIDE ) Here is a won...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass