Gerald Thurston Table Lamp
View Similar Items
Gerald Thurston Table Lamp
About the Item
- Creator:Gerald Thurston (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Diameter: 23 in (58.42 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. one E26 socket, max. wattage 60w.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84872977442
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.
- Laurel Table LampBy Laurel Lamp CompanyLocated in Los Angeles, CAsingle laurel table lampCategory
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,200 - Scandinavian Table Lamp, 1950Located in Los Angeles, CAElegant articulate table lamp, with matte black metal base, curved brass arm, orientable aluminium shade in textured ivory, on/off switch on the base, wired for US standards, one E27...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Stilnovo Table Lamp, 1970By Sabine Charoy, StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CARare pivoting desk lamp by Sabine Charoy for Stilnovo, Italy 1970, white enameled metal and chrome, wired for US standards, two E12 sockets, max. watta...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome, Steel, Metal
- Danish Table Lamp, 1950Located in Los Angeles, CAWonderful tall 1960s ceramic table lamp with white and faux wood glaze, wired for US standards, one E26 socket, max. wattage 75w, bulb provided as a one time courtesy.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Stilux Table Lamp, 1950By StiluxLocated in Los Angeles, CAwonderful, petite table lamp by Stilux with patinaed brass frame and original, articulate red enameled shade, can be used as wall light as well. Wired for US standards, one E12 socke...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
$2,400 - Petite Italian Table Lamp, 1960Located in Los Angeles, CAUnique petite Italian table lamp from the 1960s in brass and black and off-white enameled metal, on/off switch at rear of the adjustable body...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- 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
- 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 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 Cricket LampBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated 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
- Large Gerald Thurston For Lightolier Table LampBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NY1950's Gerald Thurston for Lightolier ceramic and brass large table lamp. Shade for photography only.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass