Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass, Glass and Crystal Chandelier
View Similar Items
Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass, Glass and Crystal Chandelier
About the Item
- Creator:Lightolier (Maker),Gerald Thurston (Designer)
- Similar to:Paavo Tynell (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In vintage original condition with minor wear and patina to the brass due to age and use. Newly wired and ready for installation.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU869418007212
Gerald Thurston
As the leading designer at Lightolier during the postwar building and design boom, Gerald Thurston created his clever lighting — sleek floor lamps, table lamps and desk lamps— to suit the American lifestyles of 1950s and 1960s. His designs were at the forefront of the mid-century modern lighting revolution — like much of the visionary work being done at the time in furniture and interiors, Thurston’s fixtures are both elegant and totally innovative, reflecting the exploration of new ideas and new technology that consumed designers of the era.
Thurston eventually led a stellar team of international lighting designers at Lightolier. He was important to the pioneering East Coast-based electric lighting company, and rumor has it that because he sketched every design on craft paper, the manufacturer insured his right hand for one million American dollars.
While enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s, where he earned his degree in industrial design, Thurston worked as a freelance designer for the Zenith Radio Corporation. Once he graduated, he found a position at the New Metal Craft Company. There he designed custom lighting fixtures and decorative objects for architects and interior designers.
Lightolier enticed Thurston to join them in approximately 1950. That same year, New York’s Museum of Modern Art featured a green floor lamp of his in their Good Design Exhibition of 1950. The sculptural lamps that Thurston created for Lightolier are representative of his interest in Scandinavian modernist lighting as well as the revolutionary designs produced by postwar Italian companies such as Arredoluce and Arteluce. (Lightolier partnered with the latter, and Thurston found inspiration in the work of Arteluce founder Gino Sarfatti.)
During Thurston’s decades-long tenure with Lightolier, he became internationally known for his many designs. His modernist fixtures are characterized by clean lines, vibrant colors and an appealing meld of metals and rich woods. His slender-legged Lightolier Tripod floor lamp, introduced in the 1960s, garnered widespread acclaim, while his whimsical Cricket lamp, with its arthropodan shade and slim brass frame, is wholly versatile — it can be hung as a sconce or positioned on a desk and offers direct or diffused light.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Gerald Thurston lighting, decorative objects and more.
Lightolier
Founded in 1904 in New York and family-operated through most of its history, Lightolier was one of the pioneering American electric lighting companies, best known for its embrace of stylistic and technical innovations.
Collectors focus on vintage Lightolier lighting fixtures produced from the 1950s and into the 1970s, when an in-house design team led by Gerald Thurston — and a stellar cast of international design contributors — created an array of practical yet aesthetically lively table lamps, floor lamps, sconces and chandeliers.
Amidst the post-World War II building boom, Lightolier — the name combines “light” and “chandelier” — aggressively boosted its residential lighting division. Thurston, who was strongly influenced by the sleek designs of Gino Sarfatti and his Italian lighting firm Arteluce, towards simpler lamp designs that offered flexibility of function. His best-known designs include the Cricket task light — a lamp with an adjustable enameled metal hood that toggles on a slender bent-metal base — and the three-legged Tripod floor lamp. At the same time, Thurston had a wonderful eye for talent and sought work from some of the lesser-known greats of the era, such as Paavo Tynell, the Finnish lighting designer, who designed several brass chandeliers for Lightolier with his trademark elegant flamboyance.
And more, Thurston recognized abilities in designers not known for their work in lighting.
Edward Wormley, head of furniture design for Dunbar, produced several noteworthy chandeliers employing canisters and reflective hoods. Alvin Lustig was famed as a graphic designer. His ca. 1953 Ring ceiling fixture for Lightolier had a minimalist techno look some 30 years ahead of its time. But this was par. Designed by Michael Lax in 1964, the Lytegem high-intensity lamp — included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art — features a ball-shaped shade attached with a chromed armature to a cubic base, a form that would be widely copied in the following decade. Chandeliers designed in the early 1970s by Gaetano Sciolari, with details such as acrylic diffusers and vertical, two-bulb arms, would define the look of lighting in their day.
A look through these pages reveals just how astonishingly wide a range of lighting pieces Lightolier produced. The company never flicked off its stylistic switch.
Find a collection of vintage Lightolier lamps and other lighting fixtures on 1stDibs.
- Large Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass, Iron and Glass ChandelierBy Lightolier, Sciolari Lighting, Stilnovo, Gerald Thurston, Gaetano SciolariLocated in Houston, TXLarge Gerald Thurston for Lightolier brass, Iron and glass chandelier. Rare large Mid-Century Modern chandelier by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. This stunning modernist chandelier...Category
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- Italian Mid-Century Modern Brass and Glass Chandelier, Stilnovo StyleBy Gerald Thurston, Lightolier, Sciolari Lighting, Stilnovo, Gaetano SciolariLocated in Houston, TXItalian Mid-Century Modern brass and glass chandelier, Stilnovo style. Unusual Italian Mid-Century Modern Stilnovo style five-light ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Large Glass and Brass Chandelier by Carl Fagerlund for OrreforsBy Sciolari Lighting, Stilnovo, Gaetano Sciolari, Carl Fagerlund, OrreforsLocated in Houston, TXLarge glass and brass chandelier by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors. A stunning large two-tiered brass and glass chandelier designed by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors. This large brass cha...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Hollywood Regency Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Murano Glass Chandelier by Carlo Nason for MazzegaBy Barovier, Carlo Nason, MazzegaLocated in Houston, TXVintage Murano glass chandelier by Carlo Nason For Mazzega. This stunning Mid-Century Modern four tier Murano chandelier is per...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsChrome
- Antique French Baccarat Style Bronze and Crystal ChandelierBy Baccarat, Maison BaguèsLocated in Houston, TXAntique French Baccarat style bronze and crystal chandelier. Unusual antique French Louis XVI style 8-light crystal chandelier, circa 1920. This stunning large antique French crystal chandelier...Category
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Bronze
- Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari Style Brass ChandelierBy Guglielmo Ulrich, Sciolari Lighting, Stilnovo, Gaetano SciolariLocated in Houston, TXItalian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari style brass chandelier. Great Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari inspired ...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Chandelier by Gerald Thurston for LightolierBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis stylish chandelier dates to the 1960s and was created for Lightolier by Gerald Thurston. The perforated form catches the light beau...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Lightolier Pendant Gerald ThurstonBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYGerald Thurston for Lightolier brass and glass pendant light. Brass and steel mesh cone supporting a domed textured glass shade with overlaid faux gilding to the underside. Lightolie...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- 1950s Gerald Thurston Star Pierced Shade Flushmount for Lightolier , USABy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in St- Leonard, QuebecEnameled aluminium shade with a pierced star motif on a brass structure . Well made strudy construction . Each shade measure 9.5 in wide by 2 in high . Glass diffuser under . ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
$2,000 Sale Price20% Off - Gerald Thurston Lightolier ChandelierBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Fraser, MIPlease feel free to reach out for efficient shipping to your location. Lightolier Hanging Chandelier designed by Gerald Thurston. Formed Glass Discs, Chrome Trim.Category
Vintage 1960s Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
$825 Sale Price66% Off - Chandelier by Gerald Thurston for LightolierBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Kilmarnock, VAMassive brushed aluminum with brass finish chandelier by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier, it can be ceiling mounted or hung from a pole. Each brass globe has a scalloped top edge with...Category
Vintage 1950s American Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Aluminum, Steel
- Wall Light Sconce Gerald Thurston LightolierBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in New York, NYLarge wall light sconce Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. Handcrafted glass with white and gold colored glass overlay creating a bursting display...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass