Mid Century Modern Brutalist Robert Sonneman Chandelier
View Similar Items
Mid Century Modern Brutalist Robert Sonneman Chandelier
About the Item
- Creator:Robert Sonneman (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)Depth: 13 in (33.02 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original vintage wear and patina. Rewired. Refer to images.
- Seller Location:Chula Vista, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9715854979
Robert Sonneman
Though Robert Sonneman was quite literally born into the lighting business, it took working for another celebrated lighting maker for him to land upon the kind of boundary-pushing modernism for which the New York–based designer is known today.
At the age of 19, fresh off a stint in the U.S. Navy, Sonneman responded to an ad for a position working in the studio of George Kovacs on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he became the sole employee. “Although my parents were in the lighting business, they came from a traditional perspective, and Kovacs introduced me to modernism,” Sonneman once said. “It was 1961, and I was immediately captured by the movement.”
While working for Kovacs, Sonneman became captivated by the work of the Bauhaus, and he began experimenting with the influential art and design school’s ideas of functional simplicity in lighting. In 1967, he opened his own studio.
Though Sonneman Design Group produced furniture for a brief time, the designer eventually elected to focus on the one category that had always fascinated him; the brand became known for its floor lamps, sconces, pendants and chandeliers that feature unconventional treatments toward shape and balance, often inspired by modern architecture. Sonneman once said of his work: “I saw the lamps that I built as lighting machines that glorified the industrial aesthetic.”
Indeed, in the spirit of Bauhaus functionality — Sonneman has also cited Mies van der Rohe as being an inspiration — the designer’s work takes function-centric forms and motifs and elevates them while prioritizing technology. This spirit of forward thinking continues today, as Sonneman’s brand, renamed SONNEMAN – A Way of Light in 2003, works with LED bulbs to continue to push the boundaries of what functional lighting can achieve aesthetically.
Current-day releases by SONNEMAN – A Way of Light (still overseen by Sonneman himself) feature 95 percent LED lights and include interior and exterior lighting as well as modular suspended lights as an alternative to track lighting. Sonneman’s vintage pieces, however, are still widely collected on the secondary market.
Find vintage Robert Sonneman lighting on 1stDibs.
- 1970s Tubular Pearl Metal Sheet Cathedral Chandelier Pendant Robert SonnemanBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Chula Vista, CA1970s, Tube cathedral chandelier pendant by Robert Sonneman. Modern sheets of mother-of-pearl metal form tubes on this sculptural modern art chan...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- 1970s Style of Robert Sonneman Brass Cylinder Table LampsBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Chula Vista, CA1970s Modern Brass Cylinder Table Lamp Pair Pop Art Sculptural Style of Robert Sonneman. No verification present. Features new cable wiring...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- 1970s Chrome Cylinder Table Lamp Style of Robert SonnemanBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Chula Vista, CAAMBIANIC presents 1970s Modernist Chrome Cylinder Table Lamp attribution Robert Sonneman design style. Unsigned 21.25 h x 4 diameter Ori...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Robert Sonneman Curvy Chrome Orbiter Wall Sconce Walnut Wall Mount, 1960sBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Chula Vista, CAFor your pleasure: Cool curvy chrome orbiter white wall sconce walnut wall mount 1960s Fabulous Mid-Century Modern chrome wall sconce by Robert Sonneman. Sleek curved sconce attach...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsChrome
- Modular Chandelier Tubular Chrome by Swiss Lamp Co Trix & Robert Haussmann 1960sBy Trix and Robert HaussmannLocated in Chula Vista, CAMinimalist modular chandelier in chrome plated steel atomic tubular design attributed to Trix and Robert Haussmann. Styled after Lichtstrukt...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- 1960s Architectural Modern Pendant Chandelier after Louis PoulsenBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Chula Vista, CAmodern pendant chandelier from Museum of Modern Art La Jolla, CA. design of the lower diffuser is similar to Louis Poulsen-Poul Henningsen pendants from Scandinavia. made in the USA ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Robert Sonneman Mid-Century Modern Chrome ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJChrome and smoked glass light fixture by Robert Sonneman on 20" long chain.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- Robert Sonneman "Cityscape" Brutalist ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in New York, NYModernist sheet steel and brass fixture, by Robert Sonneman. Large and impressive.Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Chandeliers and Pendants
- Robert Sonneman Designed "Cityscape" Brutalist ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Van Nuys, CAModernist sheet steel and brass "Cityscape" fixture by Robert Sonneman. The chandelier is made of flat copper panels connection but steel rods. Finished and replated to like new c...Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCopper, Steel
- Robert Sonneman Cityscape Brutalist Brushed Steel Chandelier Vintage MidcenturyBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA Robert Sonneman cityscape brutalist brushed steel chandelier. This stunning chandelier is a great showcase of brutalist design in a lightin...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsSteel
- Robert Sonneman Molecule ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Houston, TXVintage 8 light Robert Sonneman chrome orb molecule chandelier.Category
Mid-20th Century North American Space Age Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsChrome
- Robert Sonneman Cascading Pendant ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe cords are adjustable to your desired length and can extend another 6-12". For more than four decades, New York City-based Robert Sonneman has been at the forefront of modern lig...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum, Brass