Angelo Lelii’s energetic and imaginative floor lamps, sconces and chandeliers often reflected his singular personality — whimsical but practical. He is responsible for some of the most delightfully eye-pleasing but functional works in the history of Italian mid-century modern lighting design.
Lelii was born Paolo Angelo Lelii in the seaport town of Ancona and moved to Milan when he was quite young. Not much is known about his early life — online resources frequently have his last name misspelled “Lelli” — except that he studied at the Superior Institute of Industrial Art in nearby Monza.
While there was no shortage of pioneering work being done in the field of mid-century modern lighting design, Lelii was a visionary whose dream was to create technologically advanced lighting that embodied the simple lines of modern design but would be defined by his own imaginative twists. In 1943, Lelii opened his first workshop in a tiny basement in Monza, under the name Arredoluce. A few years later, he designed the single-light, bent-arm Tris floor lamp. Later that year, he exhibited his Triennale floor lamp at the Milan Triennale VIII and garnered wide acclaim. This iconic, slender lamp features three adjustable arms with enameled aluminum shades.
Lelii’s sculptural fixtures in brass and cast iron appeared in the acclaimed design journal Domus, and he embarked on high-profile collaborations with Italian modernist legends such as Gio Ponti — a giant of architecture and design as well as a founder of Domus — Memphis Group member Ettore Sottsass Jr. and the brothers Castiglioni (formally known as Achille, Pier Giacomo and Livio).
Massive success followed for Arredoluce from the late 1950s and into the 1960s. For Lelii, there was his seminal Stella ceiling lamp, featuring opaque, acid-etched glass globe shades; his minimalist Cobra table lamp, which was one of the world’s first low voltage light fixtures; and his aptly named Eye floor lamp. Lelii continued to oversee design and production at his revolutionary lighting firm until his death in 1979.
Find vintage Angelo Lelii lighting on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $13,166 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Brass Chandelier Model 12369, Italy
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Vienna, AT
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, suspension light model 12369, Italy circa 1950-1960 Organic chandelier designed by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce. The composition unfolds through six leaf...
Brass
$5,200 / item
H 4.5 in W 11 in D 11 in
Model 14109 'Mirage' Ceiling Lights by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This captivating ceiling light, model 14109 “Mirage,” was designed by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Italy, circa 1975. Crafted in chrome-plated and enameled steel, their sculptural, g...
Steel, Chrome
$48,398
H 7.88 in W 78.75 in D 43.31 in
20th Century Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Lamp Chandelier mod. Six Moon
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Turin, Turin
Angelo Lelii became an influential designer in postwar Italy, especially in the field of modern lighting design. In the 1947 He founded Arredoluce, a premier manufacturer of supplie...
Metal, Brass
$7,259
H 31.5 in Dm 37.41 in
Raro Lampadario a Sospensione Disegnato da Angelo Lelii per Arredoluce anni 50
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Rovereta, Repubblica di San Marino
lampadario a sospensione anni cinquanta di Angelo Lelii e prodotto per Arredoluce in ottone, vetro e alluminio . La particolarità di questo lampadario sta nella sua struttura, che ...
Brass
$8,227
H 43.31 in Dm 9.45 in
Angelo Lelii certified brass and glass pendant light by Arredoluce, Italy, 1950s
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A rare chandelier in brass and opaline glass, designed by Angelo Lelii, produced by Arredoluce in the 1950s, with original authenticity label issued by the Arredoluce archive. The l...
Brass
Angelo Lelii “Stella a 12” Ceiling Lamp for Arredoluce, 1959
By Fontana Arte, Angelo Lelii
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Angelo Lelii “Stella a 12” Ceiling Lamp for Arredoluce, brass and glass, Italy, 1959 Designed in 1959, Lelii’s Stella a 12 hinges on one gesture: ...
Brass
Model 12369 Ceiling Light by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 12369 Ceiling Light by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1950s. All brass leaf formed shades with hammered detailing. Each leaf is stem...
Brass
Angelo Lelii "12697" Ceiling Lamp for Arredoluce, 1958
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Angelo Lelii "12697" Ceiling Lamp for Arredoluce, brass, perspex and glass, Italy, 1958 A luminous testament to Italian modernism, the Angelo Lelli “12697” ceiling lamp for Arredoluce (Italy, 1958) embodies a poetic balance of form and function. Suspended like an architectural halo, its opaline glass diffuser is embraced by a finely spaced rhythm of brass rods, crowned by a gently glowing yellow perspex disc that elevates the design’s sculptural presence. Lelli’s mastery lies in the marriage of materials — warm brass, soft blown glass, and colored perspex — echoing the refined lighting experiments of Gino Sarfatti and the harmonious compositions of Gio Ponti’s Arredoluce...
Brass
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $13,166 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $1,720-$58,000 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |