Gaetano Missaglia Furniture

Pair of sleek, modernist, petite bedside/table lamps by Gaetano Missaglia (ca. 1970, Italy). Composed of brushed aluminum cylinders with chromed-metal insert diffusers. Known as "pri...

Plexiglass light sculpture designed by Gaetano Missaglia for his own company Missaglia, 1970s. A chrome-plated metal base and four curved plexiglass parts together form a striking l...

The lamps have a steel structure. The light points can be opened and closed to create a customizable beam of light, hence the name 'Privacy'.

1970s pendant chandelier, design by Gaetano Missaglia Chandelier with chromed metal and acrylic glass elements produced by Gaetano Missaglia in the seventies. The color of the diffus...

Two Rombo table lamps by Gaetano Missaglia made of L-shaped orange plastic tubes with chrome-plated connections and one socket each. We assume no liability...

Mid-Century Modern ceiling lamp with five lampshades in chromed metal and lucite plexiglass. Designed by Gaetano Missaglia and manufactured in Italy during the 1970s. Acrylic, also known as the brand names lucite or Plexiglas, was developed in the 1930s. Its scientific name is Poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, and it is a type of thermoplastic, which is a plastic Material that is moldable at extremely hot temperatures and solid once cool. The company that created acrylic licensed it in two ways; first as Plexiglas to be a glass replacement, and afterwards as lucite for commercial uses in 1937. Commercially, lucite was used in jewelry, handbags, and cosmetics packaging. Plexiglas, in comparison, was often used for larger projects, such as aircraft windows, lenses for lighthouses, and aquariums. Before it was used widespread for furniture, acrylic was being utilized for military purposes, as wartime was quickly approaching. During World War 2 (1939-1945), the country’s resources were mostly directed to military uses, and acrylic was no different. Acrylic, as Plexiglas, was used to help the military, including as airplane windshields and submarine periscopes. Despite that, some people began using acrylic to make furniture. In 1939, Helena Rubinstein, a wildly successful cosmetics mogul and art collector, commissioned to Ladislas Medgyesan an entire suite of acrylic furnishings for her NYC apartment, including an illuminated acrylic bed in her bedroom and acrylic chairs for business meetings. When the war ended in 1945, acrylic was ready to be worked with in design on a larger scale. The company licensed lucite widely, making it much more available across every industry. It steadily gained momentum in the world of design, with artists and designers being inspired by its moldability and translucense. In 1959, French designer Erwine Laverne told a New York Times reporter, “The most important element in rooms is people, not furniture,” speaking to the growing popularity and importance of the clear furniture. But acrylic furniture hit its peak popularity in the 1960s and ‘70s, as more acrylic furniture designers and artists entered the scene. Glass artists began to take more of an interest in acrylics, especially taking advantage of acrylic’s flexibility, light weight, cost, and capacity to refract and filter light. Designers like John Mascheroni and Charles Hollis Jones, known as the Godfather of lucite, created iconic pieces that still look beautiful in today’s modern home. Designers and artists alike loved the durability and look of acrylic. As Charles Hollis Jones put in an interview with Ravelin Magazine, “I worked a lot with lucite when I first started. When I worked with the company that wanted me to go to Europe, they had me work with glass, ceramic, enamel. I went over there and the glass was always in the wrong color and it always broke. When the earthquakes came, I got visual proof of that. I like to work with acrylic because it does two wonderful things that glass doesn’t. It’s shatter-proof, first of all. I can also change the microstructure and make it one-tenth the strength of steel. And the most important thing it does: it carries light. Glass reflects light. lucite holds it and carries it. If you play with it, you can make a lens to look at something in space. It’s that good. It’s purer than crystal.” In fact, acrylic was often used in chandeliers as well, mixed with other materials to make incredible striking designs that would have been much more difficult to achieve with glass. Recently, acrylic furniture has once again risen in popularity. While many of the designs are timeless, more designers are coming forward with acrylic furniture for the modern home. In 2002, designer Philippe Starck introduced his Louis Ghost Chair, and the trend has only grown from there. You’ll now find entirely acrylic pieces of home furnishings and accessories, as well as acrylic-detailed furniture all across the market. With so many designs, options, and knock-offs all across the market, we at clear home design...

Gaetano Missaglia table lamp, France, 1970s Additional Information: Materials: Acrylic, Aluminum Dimensions: 10 3/4“ H x 2 1/2” Dia. Condition: Very good. Tested and working.

The Italian Space Age acrylic glass sculptural lamp by Gaetano Missaglia, from the 1970s, is a stunning piece of lighting design that captures the es...

Giacomo Benevelli sculptural table lamp mod. Roto cast aluminium structure and opaline glass diffuser. Original signature on the base. Giacomo Benevelli 1970 Manufactured by Gaetano Missaglia, Italy, circa. 1970. Measures : cm 30x40x40 Conditions: Excellent consistent with age and use. European socket with light dimmer.

Gaetano Missaglia design Italy by production anni ’70 ceiling lamp three point light in plexiglass transparent ad satinated. The ceiling lamp in perfec...

Rare Space Age lucite and metal handle, sculpture table lamp by Gaetano Missaglia.

Splendid original table lamp from the 70s, in plexiglass, a sort of vortex that takes light from a neon lamp placed inside the base drawing by gaetano missaglia. The resulting ...

Rare Giacomo Benevelli (1925-2011) for Gaetano Missaglia space age light panel of a sculptural chrome knot on a rectangular sheet of satin aluminum. Takes two candelabra size E14 or...

Stainless steel and marble table lamp by Gaetano Missaglia, Italy, circa 1970. High polished interior with a matte finish exterior on the steel straps, that comprise the "globe" sur...