Walter Von Nessen On Sale
Recent Sales
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Serving Pieces
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Teak, Plastic
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Marble, Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Nickel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
20th Century American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Bookends
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Aluminum, Brass
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Bookends
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Brass, Nickel
Vintage 1970s American Streamlined Moderne Floor Lamps
Chrome
Walter Von Nessen On Sale For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Walter Von Nessen On Sale?
Walter Von Nessen for sale on 1stDibs
Art Deco industrial designer Walter von Nessen is best known for his glamorous Machine Age lighting designs and for his invention of the swing-arm lamp. Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens, in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling sleek, modern architectural lighting.
Art Deco was both novel and exciting in the late 1920s — as, indeed, was electricity itself — and Nessen Studios was at the forefront of the movement. Electric lighting designers at the time had no direct models to follow. The shapes and silhouettes of gas lamps, lanterns and chandeliers had been influenced by those of the kerosene-, oil- and candle-lit fixtures that preceded them, which in turn were informed by the fuels they used. Electric lighting required designs that accommodated essentials of the new technology, like cords and sockets. Von Nessen and his contemporaries thus had to create fixtures that addressed these challenges and looked modern without appearing overly mechanical.
Along with industrial-design visionaries of the period like Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen crafted a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. And he experimented with other popular materials of the era, such as Bakelite, chrome and fiberglass. His ingenious design for the now-ubiquitous swing-arm lamp earned him a reputation as an innovator.
Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions. Designed to complement the luxurious interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s, still look fresh nearly a century later.
Finding the Right lighting for You
The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.
Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.
Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat.
Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.
As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.
There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation.
With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.
The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.