Known for his sleek, award-winning Space Age lighting, Rolf Krüger was an influential and important contributor to the advancement of German mid-century modern furniture design during the 1960s and 1970s.
Born in Hamburg in 1939, Krüger grew up in the maritime city of Husum, located near the German-Danish border. In 1959, he studied free and applied arts at the Heinrich Zernack School in Berlin before attending the Meisterschule für das Kunsthandwerk (now the Universität der Künste Berlin) from 1960 to 1964. There, he studied product design, painting, photography and commercial graphics and graduated with a diploma in design.
From 1964 to 1982, Krüger worked for several German lighting and furniture design firms, creating metal, glass and concrete products. For manufacturer Staff Leuchten, he designed bubble glass pendants (created with Japanese lighting designer Motoko Ishii), tube decorative wall lamps and the iconic Cross Oyster flush mount ceiling light, which was displayed in the exhibition stand of Mercedes-Benz at the 1970 Geneva International Motor Show. In 1968, Krüger collaborated with German industrial designer Dieter Witte to create a large wall panel version of the Cross Oyster light for Staff Leuchten.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Krüger worked with lighting manufacturer Heinz Neuhaus Leuchten to create several popular pieces like his cubic wall lights and brass tubular desk lamps. For furniture maker Paul Neuhaus Leuchten, Krüger designed his elegant, modernist double wall sconces.
Throughout his design career, Krüger has received more than 30 awards, including multiple iF Design awards. His lighting pieces are in the collections of the Landesmuseen Schleswig-Holstein, the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, the Design Museum in Munich and the Kunstgewerbemuseum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Rolf Krüger lighting.
Brass Tubular Pair of Desk Lamps by Rolf Krüger for Heinz Neuhaus, 1960s Germany
By Heinz Neuhaus Leuchten, Rolf Krüger
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Brass tubular pair of desk lamps by Rolf Krüger for Heinz Neuhaus, 1960s Germany Minimal and very high quality design Fully functional. These lamps made of brass. Original ...
Brass
$562Sale Price / item|44% Off
H 13.39 in Dm 13.39 in
One of 20 Opaline Glass Lamp by Rolf Krüger Staff Leuchten 34 cm, Germany 1960s
By Rolf Krüger, Staff Leuchten
Located in Rosendahl, DE
One of twenty vintage opaline glass globe lights, model p117 from Staff Leuchten, designed by Rolf Krüger. The lights are made for E27 sockets and can be wired with a black cable of ...
Chrome
Pair of Brass Table Lamps by Sölken, 1960s, Germany
By Sölken Leuchten
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Pair of brass table lamps by Sölken, Germany, 1960s. This elegant vintage set features sculptural adjustable arms with rounded counterweights, hemispherical bases and matching dome-s...
Metal, Brass
$268Sale Price / item|40% Off
H 9.45 in Dm 5.52 in
One of 20 Opaline Glass Lamp by Rolf Krüger Staff Leuchten 14 cm, Germany 1960s
By Rolf Krüger, Staff Leuchten
Located in Rosendahl, DE
One of twenty smaller vintage opaline glass globe lights, model p117 from Staff Leuchten, designed by Rolf Krüger. The lights are made for E14 sockets and can be wired with a black c...
Chrome
$1,090 / set
H 7.88 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in
Set of 9 Ceiling or Wall Lamps by Rolf Krüger for Staff, 1960s
By Staff Leuchten, Rolf Krüger
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
The set includes 5x the 20cm high lamp and 4x the 12cm. Design from Rolf Krüger 1966, winner of the German IF Award in 1967! Rod luminaires are particularly suitable for creati...
Metal
$1,148 / set
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 3.15 in
Two 1970s brass wall lamps by Rolf Krüger for Heinz Neuhaus Leuchten
Located in München, DE
Two square brass wall lamps from the 1970s. Designed by Rolf Krüger for the manufacturer Heinz Neuhaus Leuchten, Germany. Typical, high-quality Space Age design. The lamp frames are ...
Brass
$631
H 2.37 in W 8.27 in D 9.06 in
cubic Ceramic Wall Light by Rolf Krüger for HEINZ NEUHAUS Leuchten Germany 1970s
By Rolf Krüger, Heinz Neuhaus Leuchten
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Wall light sconce. Producer: Neuhaus Leuchten, Germany. Design: Rolf Krüger, 1970s Origin: Germany. Age: 1970s. Description: Original 1970s modernist Germa...
Metal
$366Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.24 in Dm 17.33 in
Midcentury Pendant Lamp by Rolf Krüger for Staff Leuchten, 1960s
By Rolf Krüger, Staff Leuchten
Located in Praha, CZ
- very nice style of lighting - rare type - marked by label - Semi lamp type
Copper
$1,435 / item
H 28.75 in Dm 13.78 in
1 of 12 Rare Designer Glass Pendant Lamp by Rolf Krüger for Staff, Germany 1970s
By Rolf Krüger, Staff Leuchten
Located in Aachen, NRW
Rare designer smoked glass pendant lamp by Rolf Krüger for Staff, Germany, 1970s, Germany, circa 1970-1979. Sockets: One x E27 standard bulb (max. 100 Watts) and compatible also w...
Smoked Glass
$1,173
H 9.45 in Dm 17.32 in
Mid-Century Space Age German Red Tulip Pendant Lamp by Rolf Krüger, 1960s
By Rolf Krüger
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Space Age German Red Tulip Pendant Lamp by Rolf Krüger for Staff, 1960s Simple pendulum from Staff glow after a design by Rolf Krüger. Here in a rare version in the colo...
Metal
Rolf Krüger wall lamps
By Rolf Krüger
Located in Brussels, BE
These Rolf Krüger Wall Lamps are an iconic example of mid-century modern lighting design. The lamps feature white metal panels with a distinctive circular cut-out pattern, creating a...
Metal
$6,995 / set
H 9.85 in W 9.85 in D 4.34 in
"2031" Lamps by Rolf Krüger for Staff Leuchten, Germany 2nd half of the 20th C
By Staff Leuchten, Dieter Witte, Rolf Krüger
Located in Utrecht, NL
This striking pair of wall lamps, designed by Rolf Krüger and Dieter Witte, highlights the refined innovation of 20th century German design. Crafted in lacquered aluminium, each lamp...
Aluminum
Adjustable Brass Desk Lamp, Germany, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
An elegant and highly functional adjustable German table lamp from the 1960s, executed primarily in brass with metal and plastic components. The design is distinguished by its gracef...
Metal, Brass, Other