For eight years, Italian architecture and design studio Archizoom Associati challenged modernism and aligned itself with what we now call Radical Design, an avant-garde art movement established largely in Florence that produced exuberant conceptual furnishings and objects that were neither practical nor very commercial. Through iconic works like the Sanremo floor lamp and the Mies lounge chair, Archizoom and other proponents of the movement protested functionalism and explored form, color and material in a way that countered the existing social order.
Founded in 1966 by University of Florence students Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, Massimo Morozzi and Paolo Deganello, Archizoom questioned mass consumerism and the validity of rapid postwar modernization in their native country. In their architecture initiatives, interiors, installations, furniture and more, Archizoom's members were pioneers of postmodernism — future Memphis Group cofounder Ettore Sottsass was also part of the Radical Design movement — and alongside likeminded collectives such as Superstudio, Ziggurat and UFO, Archizoom drew on Pop art, Minimalism and Arte Povera to expand upon the expressive potential of design. Branzi and his peers were also deeply influenced by the visionary work of London architecture collective Archigram — so much so that the group’s name is inclusive of Zoom, which is the name of a zine published by the British collective.
In Archizoom’s No-Stop City — an unbuilt architecture project — the urban area is stripped bare, a featureless monochromatic expanse that sees built structures meeting nothing more than the basic needs of human existence. The group’s Mies lounge chair — a tribute to early modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe — was developed for Poltronova and hardly resembles a chair at all. It is not until one sits down that the detached bench seat combines with the backrest and becomes a full seat. The human body bonds the pieces together to make a chair that is surprisingly functional — and even compact.
The Radical Design movement is experiencing something of a renaissance, and Archizoom Associati’s works featured prominently in 2020’s “Radical: Italian Design 1965-1985” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The collective’s designs were given a global stage in the classic 1972 exhibition “Italy : The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, but most of the groups associated with Radical Design dissolved by the mid-1970s. The Mies lounge chair is held in MoMA’s permanent collection.
Find vintage Archizoom Associati seating, lighting and tables on 1stDibs.
San Remo Floor Lamp by Archizoom Associati, 1968 Plexiglas Design
By Archizoom Associati
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
The plexiglas shaped "leaves" atop the floor lamp (they are meant to mimic palm tree leaves) glow in an almost fluorescent manner when the lamp is lit! Very otherworldly! The origi...
Metal
Floor lamp by Nanda Vigo mod 4041 for Kartell, 1968
By Nanda Vigo, Kartell
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Rare floor lamp designed in 1968 by Nanda Vigo for Kartell, lacquered aluminum base and top closure and white methacrylate diffuser. Neon lighting, fully functional. True example of ...
Aluminum
Floor Lamp Designed by Vittoriano Viganò
By Vittoriano Vigano
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Floor lamp designed by Vittorio Vigano. Denmark, Astep, 2019. The VV Cinquanta Floor floor lamp with a slender black aluminium frame and a reflector...
Aluminum
$3,198 / item
H 66.93 in Dm 17.33 in
Vistosi Novecento PT Floor Lamp by Romani Saccani Architetti Associati
By Vistosi, Romani Saccani Architetti
Located in Mogliano Veneto, Treviso
The idea behind the collection Novecento is to reduce the traditional Murano chandelier to its most recognizable element, its profile. This shape is then reconstructed in a 360º glas...
Murano Glass
Lampadulure Floor Lamp by BehaghelFoiny Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Lampadulure floor lamp by BehaghelFoiny design 2020 Materials: Aluminium, plaster Dimensions: 65 x 10 x 167 cm All our lamps can be wired according to each country. If sold to ...
Aluminum
Agata, Outdoor Floor Lamp, Designed by MoreDesign
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Scroll down and click "view all from Seller" to see more than 400 other unique products. A tribute to tradition but with a modern production technology: this is the idea that led to...
Plastic
Metal Floor Lamp by Sergio Asti, 1968
By Sergio Asti, Poltronova
Located in Berlin, DE
This impressive floor lamp is made of black enameled metal, it's reflector has three convexities and is made of white, translucid acrylic. _ 'Sergio Asti (born 1926) is an Italian...
Metal
Floor Lamp by Jean Perzel, 1968
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Metal torchiere of satin finished chrome consisting of a vase shaped shade with a thick, satin frosted glass insert open at the top with its sides half shielded by a metal cover and ...
Chrome
Luxo Floor Lamp Designed by Jac Jacobsen
By Jacob Jacobsen
Located in Montréal, QC
Luxo floor lamp designed by Jac Jacobsen. 60 watts E-26 Edison medium base incandescent bulb recommended or higher if LED/CFL. Verifired E-26 Ediso...
Aluminum, Enamel, Steel, Chrome
Gilded Floor Lamp Designed by Albert Hadley
By Albert Hadley
Located in New York, NY
Albert Hadley Gilded Floor Lamp. Tripod adjustable gold leaf gilded floor lamp designed by Albert Hadley and Pairish Hadley Design. Pair available. T...
Brass, Steel
$1,424
H 64.97 in Dm 13.78 in
Brass, Varnished Metal and Plexiglas Floor Lamp "Alberelli" by C. La Gaipa, 2020
By Carmelo La Gaipa
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
This floor lamp is made in brass, varnished metal and multicolored Plexiglas. It might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered as in excellent original condition and ready to give ambiance to any room. One of a kind. "Carmelo La Gaipa, an independent author of ideas that are then put into images, has always been dealing with the three-dimensional aspect of an object...
Brass, Metal
$2,895 / item
H 27.55 in Dm 19.68 in
Firmamento Milano Medium White Servoluce Floor Lamp by Park Associati
By Firmamento Milano, Park Associati
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Please note that VAT is not included in the price. Artifice for the “indirect transport of light”. Three disks interact on a vertical axis: the manual positioning of the middle one ...
Aluminum
Charles Hollis Jones Floor Lamp Designed for Lucille Ball in 1968
By Charles Hollis Jones
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning brass floor lamp designed by Charles Hollis Jones and originally commissioned by Lucille Ball. The lamp is made of chrome and is heavy and well made; the chrome is in very ...
Chrome
Sold
H 88.59 in W 14.97 in D 14.97 in
Floor Lamp Sanremo Model by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova, Italy
By Archizoom Associati, Poltronova
Located in Milan, Italy
The structure is in pearl lacquered metal and the leaves in laser-cut Perspex. The prototype of the Sanremo floor lamp was Dario Bartolini's enga...
Metal
Sanremo Floor Lamp Archizoom for Poltronova Vintage, Italy, 1980s
By Archizoom Associati
Located in Milano, IT
A floor lamp designed by Archizoom for Poltronova. Model: Sanremo. Chromed metal and methacrylate. Manufactured in Italy, 1980s.
Metal
Rare "Sanremo" Floor Lamp by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova
By Archizoom Associati, Poltronova
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare plexiglass and metal "Sanremo" floor lamp designed by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova. Designed in Milan, 1968. Original wiring. E27 75w maximum bulbs. Literature: F. e N. Fe...
Metal