Gerald Thurston Table Lamp, America, circa 1960
View Similar Items
Gerald Thurston Table Lamp, America, circa 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Gerald Thurston (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 23 in (58.42 cm)Diameter: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Culver City, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: L21651stDibs: LU878911237531
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.
- Bankers Lamps, America circa 1950Located in Culver City, CABankers lamps America circa 1950 Chrome / wood veneer desk lamp with adjustable shade. Measures: 16"w x 6.5”d x 11”h. *Please note the price ...Category
20th Century American Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Gae Aulenti Table Lamps, Italy circa 1960Located in Culver City, CAGae Aulenti Table Lamps Italy circa 1960 Oracolo table lamp, Opaline globe on enameled aluminum tubular base with perforated steel band. 21”dia x 25”hCategory
20th Century Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
$5,200 / item - Fase Desk Lamp, Spain, circa 1960Located in Culver City, CAFase desk lamp Spain circa 1960 Metal lamp, with original painted finish on revolving base, with pivoting shade and glass diffuser. Measures: 11.75” W x 21.5” D x 15.75” HCategory
20th Century Spanish Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Gras Table Lamp, France, circa 1930Located in Culver City, CAGras table lamp France circa 1930 Articulating table lamp Measures: 12.75” W x 6.75” D x 20” H.Category
20th Century French Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Iron
- Tall Ceramic Lamp, France circa 1970Located in Culver City, CATall Ceramic Lamp France circa 1970 Unique ceramic lamp with linen shade. 10”L x 10”D x 49.5”HCategory
Vintage 1970s French Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Brutalist Ceramic Lamp, France circa 1970Located in Culver City, CABrutalist Ceramic Lamp France circa 1970 15”dia x 59.5”hCategory
20th Century French Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Gerald Thurston Pottery Table LampBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NY1960s Mid-Century Modern pottery table lamp designed by Gerald Thurston. Shades for photography only.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsPottery
- Two Gerald Thurston Table Lamps for Lightolier, 1960sBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Den Haag, NLTwo beautiful table lamps. Designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier USA, 1960s. Grey ceramic lamp bases with a metallic finish on oak feet. Triple armatures which can be switched on and off individually using the draw cord...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
$1,054 Sale Price / set20% Off - Gerald Thurston Porcelain LampsBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Classic ivory glazed porcelain lamps with speckled horizontal stripes resting on matte finished bases with an aged brass band. Lamps have been rewired for use in the USA ...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$4,500 / set - Gerald Thurston Style Brass Table LampsBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYStunning pair of large 1960s Gerald Thurston style brass table lamps with wood base, newly professionally rewired and ready to use. Measures: Height to light socket 29.5” Shade...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,800 / set - Gerald Thurston Ribbed Ceramic Table LampsBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of ceramic table lamps, designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. Executed in a minimal black and white, this fresh design has a ribbed motif that adds texture to these large ...Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
$2,800 / set - Gerald Thurston Cricket LampBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Brooklyn, NYOriginal "Cricket" table lamp, designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. Enameled white shade, articulates from angular brass base. A versatile lamp that may be hung on the wall as...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Should You Reupholster Your Antique Furniture?
Absolutely, says a design dealer known for his stunning transformations of old furniture with new fabric.
A California Tastemaker Curates a Tudor-Style House Unlike Any Other
Ray Azoulay, a fashion industry veteran who runs a successful L.A. gallery, is a creative force with high-profile devotees, some of whom are lucky enough to work with him on interior design projects.