He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.
In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.
Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads.
Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).
Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.
As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.
Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Joe Colombo Glass Box, Italy 1970
By Joe Colombo
Located in Conversano, IT
Designed by Joe Colombo and produced by Arnolfo di Cambio in the early 1970s, the “Biglia” box is a refined example of material experimentation and functional design. The object refl...
Steel
Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Postmodern Italian Design
By Alessi, Joe Colombo
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
This alarm clock, originally conceived by Joe Colombo in the 1970s and reissued by Alessi in the late 1980s, represents a notable example of Italian modern design applied to everyday...
Plastic
Set of Five Joe Colombo '5-in-1' Glass Vases by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Set of Five Joe Colombo '5-in-1' glass vases by Karakter Italian industrial designer Joe Colombo pursued a career in painting and sculpture before he transitioned to design in the 1950s. In even the most functional homeware pieces, Colombo’s artistic background shines through in the sculptural silhouettes he creates. Such is the case with 5-in-1, a set of mouth-blown glasses that neatly intertwine. Featuring five pieces – originally intended as a cognac class, a white wine glass, a red wine glass, a grappa...
Glass
1970s Ritz Italora Original Table Clock by Joe Colombo Optic Art
By Joe Colombo
Located in Biella, IT
Ritz Italora rare original table clock first edit by Joe Colombo design years 1970 optic art. Materialis plastic and metal particular and mecanism. ...
Plastic
Nomon Oj Wall Clock By Jose Maria Reina
By Nomon, José María Reina
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A wall clock tends to resemble its owner. Its design, color and resolution, the style of the one who placed it in that precise place and that's why the frequent alternatives are so varied. When the wall clock you need meets many of the characteristics of your personality as a taste for the minimalist innovative trends and a lot of originality the option is undoubtedly the Nomon OJ Clock. The OJ is a true designer clock...
Polystyrene
$158Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 19.7 in W 19.7 in D 1.9 in
Nomon Mini Oj Wall Clock By Jose Maria Reina
By Nomon, José María Reina
Located in Brooklyn, NY
It is increasingly common to see a wall clock located anywhere in a house without regard to traditional areas such as the kitchen. This has a reason to be: This type of clocks has become an original decorative element. A design clock like the Nomon mini OJ gives great personality to any room where you place it and thanks to its dimensions of just 50 cm in diameter it also makes it a jovial and curious object. A wall can be completely empty but when you place an adhesive clock on it, it will be rightly decorated without the need to add any other decorative element. Only with its presence a wall clock can enrich a place without recharging it much more since its design will be enough. It is the kind of magic that you achieve when having a Nomon OJ mini clock...
Polystyrene
Established & Sons Large Font Clock by Sebastian Wrong
By Established & Sons, Sebastian Wrong
Located in London, GB
The iconic calendar clock, with its distinctive form and flip mechanism, has an established following in design circles. Sebastian Wrong deliberately increases our attraction to its retro look by introducing an ever-changing display. The font clock...
Plastic
Original 1970s table clock and alarm clock COMFORTIME 3 by Krups
By Krups
Located in München, DE
Original 1970s Krups table clock and alarm clock. Krups Type 672. Made in Germany. The 1970s Pop Art classic in typical red and orange. Clock and alarm functions are working. Quiet a...
Plastic
Jaeger-LeCoultre Mystery Mantel Clock
By Jaeger-LeCoultre
Located in Norwich, GB
Jaeger-LeCoultre mystery clock in a Lucite case with beautiful chinoiserie decoration featuring a bird in flight and standing on a gilded stepped bas...
Lucite
Established & Sons Medium Font Clock by Sebastian Wrong
By Sebastian Wrong, Established & Sons
Located in London, GB
The iconic calendar clock, with its distinctive form and flip mechanism, has an established following in design circles. Sebastian Wrong deliberately increases our attraction to its retro look by introducing an ever-changing display. The Font Clock...
Plastic
$312Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.75 in W 2.75 in D 6.69 in
1970s Astonishing Table Clock by Omodomo in Crystal. Made in Italy
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Astonishing table clock by Omodomo in crystal. Made in Italy. It's in excellent condition and it works perfectly with battery (quartz mechanism) Dimensions: 6,69 x 2,75 x 2,75 ...
Crystal
Lucite and Chrome Box, Italy, 1970s
Located in Naples, IT
Rare decorative lucite and chrome cube-shaped box. Made in Italy in the 1970s.
Chrome
Soft Clock, Ceramics, Black Ceramics
By Kiki & Joost, Kiki van Eijk
Located in Eindhoven, NL
Soft is a collection of sensual and tactile ceramic pieces in which Kiki looks at vernacular shapes to re-imagine them. The Netherlands has a long history of craft and Dutch designer...
Ceramic
Italian Glass and Metal Jewelry Box, 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
This charming small glass box with gilt metal mounts and a delicate handle instantly recalls the shape of a miniature suitcase. Made in Italy during the 1970s, it is a decorative obj...
Glass
Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Skokie, IL
Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock Italy, 1970s Red Secticon T2 table clock designed by architect Angelo Mangiarotti. The clock features a brass tone dial with Rom...
Brass
Vintage Italian Pink And Gold Alabaster Round Pill Box 1970
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage timeless elegance handcrafted Italian pink alabaster pill box trimmed in gold tone metal. Featuring a hinged lid and gilt brass metal trim,the lid is decorated with a rose, i...
Alabaster
Sold
H 3.15 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in
Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Minimalist Italian Design
By Alessi, Joe Colombo
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
Discover a rare piece of design history with this Alessi 02/R Optic alarm clock, an iconic reissue of Joe Colombo's visionary 1970s design. First produced by Ritz Italora, this strik...
Plastic
Sold
H 3.54 in Dm 5.51 in
1960s Gorgeous "Biglia" in Crystal by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo Di Cambio. Made in
By Joe Colombo
Located in Milano, IT
1960s Astonishing green ashtray or catch-all By Flavio Poli for Seguso in Murano glass Sommerso Glass. The item is in excellent condition. Dimension: diameter 4,72 x 2,36 H inches d...
Murano Glass
Joe Colombo "Biglia" Ashtray/Round Box for Arnolfo di Cambio, 1969, Signed
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Brescia, Brescia
This rare and elegant piece is a testament to Joe Colombo's visionary design and mastery of form. Crafted from Alexandrite glass, renowned for its ability to change color depending o...
Silver Plate
Sold
H 1.58 in W 8.08 in D 4.93 in
mod. "Biglia" by J. Colombo for A. Di Cambio Silver & Crystal Cigarette Box 1968
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Palermo, IT
Cigarette box mod. "Biglia" by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio in 1968, in purple crystal, with sliding silver plated lid. Adhesive label with the designer's name and engraving on ...
Crystal, Metal
Black Optic Clock by Joe Colombo for Alessi
By Alessi, Joe Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Optic clock designed by Joe Colombo and produced since the late 1980s by Alessi is a rare and collectible piece of design history. Imagined by the leg...
Metal
Sold
H 1.6 in W 8 in D 5 in
Arnolfo di Cambio Cigar / Cigarette Box by Joe Colombo in Years '68 Bilia Series
By Joe Colombo
Located in Biella, IT
Arnolfo di Cambio cigar/cigarette box by Joe Colombo in years '68 bilia series. Glass perfect condition and silver plate with light fading. Measure large 8 inches x deep 5" x...
Silver Plate
Set of Five Joe Colombo '5-in-1' Glass Vases by Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Set of Five Joe Colombo '5-in-1' glass vases by Karakter Italian industrial designer Joe Colombo pursued a career in painting and sculpture before he transitioned to design in the 1950s. In even the most functional homeware pieces, Colombo’s artistic background shines through in the sculptural silhouettes he creates. Such is the case with 5-in-1, a set of mouth-blown glasses that neatly intertwine. Featuring five pieces – originally intended as a cognac class, a white wine glass, a red wine glass, a grappa glass...
Glass
Sold
H 28.88 in W 16.5 in D 17 in
Joe Colombo Red Boby 3 Portable Storage System for Bieffeplast, circa 1969
By Bieffeplast, Joe Colombo
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Joe Colombo Red Boby 3 Portable Storage System for Bieffeplast, circa 1969.
Plastic
Sold
H 1.58 in W 7.88 in D 5.12 in
Italian Mid-Century Purple Crystal Smoking Box Colombo Arnolfo Di Cambio, 1969
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century Purple crystal smoking box by Colombo Arnolfo Di Cambio, 1969 Cigarette or cigar box with purple pressed crystal container and si...
Crystal, Silver
Sold
H 3.94 in Dm 2.76 in
Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio Brass and Glass Apple and Pear, Italy 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Naples, IT
Apple and Pear designed by Joe Colombo in 1969 for Arnolfo di Cambio in brass and violet Alexandrite glass. Perfect condition and not in production.
Brass
Vintage Joe Colombo Acrilica Lamp for O-Luce
By Joe Colombo, O-Luce
Located in Atlanta, GA
Vintage "Acrilica" model lamp, designed by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, Italy, circa 1960s. This lamp looks incredible when lit, as the light originates in the base and travels up and out...
Metal
Sold
H 1.58 in W 7.88 in D 4.73 in
Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio Silver and Crystal Biglia Cigarette Box, 1968
By Joe Colombo, Arnolfo di Cambio
Located in Aci Castello, IT
It's a crystal and silver cigarette box designed by Joe Colombo for Arnolfo di Cambio, it's a particular glass that change color with different light, Good conditions overall. There ...
Crystal, Silver