Josef Frank Adjustable Floor Lamp 'Neolift' by J.T. Kalmar, Brass Wood, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 78.75 in (200 cm)Width: 17.33 in (44 cm)Depth: 29.14 in (74 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:110-150v,208v,220-240v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Refinished. Rewired: Bulb socket, cord and switch are already renewed. Wear consistent with age and use. The lamp shade is renewed on base of the original one.
- Seller Location:Hausmannstätten, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1082435652942
Josef Frank
Austrian architect and furniture and fabric designer Josef Frank was a leading voice for a gentle, humane modernism. His advocacy of warm, comfortable, eclectically styled environments was highly influential in his adopted country of Sweden, and it’s now widely regarded as a harbinger of the backlash against doctrinaire modernism and the embrace of the homespun that occurred in the late 1960s.
The son of a successful Viennese textile manufacturer, Frank studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology, graduating in 1910. From the first years of his practice, he marched counter to the orderly, symmetrical architectural layouts and decors prescribed by contemporaries such as Adolf Loos.
Frank drafted rooms of varying shapes and called for flexible interior-design arrangements. His furniture pieces are light and easy to move — and his chairs are always made of wood, most often with lushly curved steam-bent arms and slatted backs. Frank openly loathed the tubular steel furnishings and “machine for living” aesthetic promoted by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus principals. “The home must not be a mere efficient machine,” Frank once said. “It must offer comfort, rest and coziness…. There are no puritan principles in good interior decoration.”
Frank — who was Jewish — sensed the dire implications of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Austria, and in 1933 he moved to Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna. He became the design chief for the furnishings maker Svenskt Tenn and found a perfect match culturally for his brand of simple, relaxed and bright creations. Like many modernists — notably Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard — Frank had a deep love of folk art, which influenced his designs for a wide array of colorful, richly patterned upholstery fabrics, many based on the classic “Tree of Life” motif.
In all his designs, Frank took inspiration from a broad variety of sources. In his furniture, one can discern traces of Asian patterns, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Scandinavian handicrafts and even Chippendale pieces. As such, the work of Frank — the friendly modernist — is at home in any type of décor.
Find vintage Josef Frank pillows, armchairs, floor lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
J.T. Kalmar
In 1881, Julius August Kalmar founded Kalmar, a Viennese company that produced handcrafted objects of cast bronze. Kalmar developed a fine reputation and exhibited internationally often, but it was Kalmar’s son, Julius Theodor (J.T.) Kalmar, who took over in 1913 and made the company shine with its modernist lighting.
Having studied at the Birmingham School of Art and Design and under the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, J.T. was deeply inspired by the shift to modernity taking place in Europe and sought to work with the leading architects and designers of his time, including Austrian Werkbund architects Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach as well as Ernst Plischke, Clemens Holzmeister and Oswald Haerdtl. Similar to the Wiener Werkstätte cooperative cofounded by Hoffmann that prized materials, form and function, Kalmar viewed his company’s lighting fixtures as “quite humble things” meant to “fit in and serve their purpose of functionally illuminating spaces without glare.”
In 1925, Kalmar began selling in Haus und Garten, the forward-looking decor shop founded by Frank and Wlach. By 1931, a close partnership with the Austrian Werkbund association of architects, artists and craftsmen allowed the company to realize its vision of early 20th-century modernity — a distinctly Viennese pairing of traditional workmanship with contemporary technology. These collaborations included chandeliers and other fixtures using traditional materials such as glass, bronze and brass while focusing on function over ornamentation. As the company grew, so too did the scope of its projects, and soon Kalmar was installing extravagant chandeliers for the Vienna State Opera, the Burgtheater, Vienna stock exchange and other sites.
Under the guidance of Rudolf Calice, J.T. Kalmar’s son-in-law, the 1960s saw Kalmar’s popularity grow, thanks in part to the success of more decorative pieces like the ice-glass fixtures created with Austrian sculptor Karl Gruber. Thomas Calice, the great-grandson of Kalmar’s founder, led the company in the 1990s and its expansion to international lighting projects while shifting away from serial production. In 2009, Thomas’s son August Chalice established Kalmar Werkstätten to produce fixtures that reference the Kalmar archives but also feature updates on the iconic designs. Kalmar continues to produce bespoke fixtures while also working on custom lighting projects around the world, from cruise ships to the Burj Khalifa.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage J.T. Kalmar lighting that includes chandeliers, wall lights, floor lamps and other fixtures.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Hausmannstätten, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Josef Frank Table Lamp 'Tisch-Überall' Mod. 1092 by Kalmar, Brass Leather, 1950sBy Josef Frank, J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA gorgeous and rare table lamp model 'Tisch-Überall' no. 1092 designed by Josef Frank in 1934 or earlier for Haus & Garten. The offered piece was manufactured by J.T. Kalmar, Vienna,...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- J.T. Kalmar Floor Lamp, Brass Emerald Green Murano Glass, 1960By Venini, J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA fantastic and floor lamp 'Glasschaft' (engl. 'glass rod'), no. 2134 by J.T. Kalmar, Austria, Vienna, manufactured in midcentury, in 1960s. The Stand is made of an emerald green twi...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Floor Lamp 'Dornstab' No. 2076 by J.T. Kalmar, Patinated Brass Wood Cane, 1960By Josef Frank, Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Rupert Nikoll, J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA gorgeous floor lamp by J.T. Kalmar, Vienna, Austria, manufactured in midcentury, circa 1960 (1950s or 1960s). The light is documented in the Kalmar catalogues from 1952 as well as ...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Kalmar Floor Lamps 'Telescope', Brass Tulip Base Height Adjustable, 1970By Kalmar Lighting, J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA set of two brass floor lights model 'Telescope' / 'Teleskop' with tulip stands by J.T. Kalmar, Vienna, manufactured in Austria in midcentury, circa 1970, (late 1960s or early 1970s...Category
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Kalmar Floor Lamp 'Pelican' Mod. 2097, Height Adjustable, Brass Black Iron, 1960By J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA gorgeous height adjustable floor lamp model 'Pelikan' (engl. 'Pelican') no. 2097 by J.T. Kalmar, manufactured in midcentury, circa 1960 (late 1950s or 1960s). The light is documen...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- Kalmar Floor Lamp Glasschaft no. 2134, Patinated Brass Emerald Green Glass 1960sBy Kalmar Lighting, Venini, J.T. KalmarLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA fantastic and rare floor lamp 'Glasschaft' (engl. 'glass rod'), no. 2134 by J.T. Kalmar, Austria, Vienna, manufactured in Mid-Century, circa 1960. The stand is made of an emerald g...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank J.T. Kalmar Brass & Leather Desk Table Lamp, 1950s, AustriaBy J.T. Kalmar, Josef Frank, Haus & GartenLocated in Biebergemund, HessenImportant 1950s desk lamp, designed by Josef Frank and manufactured by J.T. Kalmar in the Viennese Modern Age era. The light is made of massive brass in very elegant shape and high q...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Floor Lamp in Brass By Josef Frank, 1950'sBy Josef FrankLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länHeight Adjustable Floor Lamp in Brass By Josef Frank, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Brass Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Height adjustable floor lamp model 1842 Produce...Category
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank, Adjustable Floor Lamp, Brass, Metal, Sweden, 1950sBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in High Point, NCAn adjustable brass and black-lacquered metal floor lamp designed and produced by Josef Frank, Sweden, c. 1950s Overall Dimensions: 54" H x 15.25" W x 27" D Bulb Specifications: E-...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Rare Floor Lamp by Josef Frank for J.T.Kalmar Around 1950sBy Josef Frank, J.T. KalmarLocated in Wien, ATRare Floor lamp by josef Frank for J.T.Kalmar around 1950s Brass polished and stove enamelled The fabric shade is replaced ( new ) Rewired ( new ).Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Floor Lamp Model 2564 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950sBy Josef FrankLocated in Stockholm, SEFloor lamp model 2564 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. White lacquered brass and Lacquered Paper. Stamped. This elegant brass floor lamp is adjustable in h...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank Adjustable Brass Floor Lamp Model 1842, Sweden, 1950sBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in Praha 2, Hlavní město PrahaAdjustable brass floor lamp model 1842 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden, 1950s. One of the more classic lamps designed by renowned Austrian architect and designer ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass