Petronella Lamp by Henning Koppel for Louis Poulsen, 1960s

Henning Koppel was a Danish sculptor and designer, who was associated with the well known Georg Jensen silver department during most of his career. In the early 1960s, he along with his work at Georg Jensen also made a few designs for the Danish porcelain factory Bing & Grøndahl from where his most known design is his dinnerware and coffee service. During this period at Bing & Grøndahl, he also made a few small and experimental productions like this bonbonniere. Henning Koppel’s works have been on display at most major exhibitions of Danish art industry in Denmark and abroad since 1947, and he is represented at art industry museums worldwide. In addition, he is represented in Den kgl. copperplate collection with drawings. During his life, Henning Koppel received many awards among them the gold medals in the Milan Triennial Italy 1951, 1953 and 1957, the K. Lunning Prize Denmark 1953, International Design Award USA 1963, Der goldene Löffel, Munich Germany 1963, Diamonds-International Award 1966, ID Award Denmark 1966, gold medal in Florence 1967 Italy, and Silver Medal Exempla Munich Germany 1970.

Louis Poulsen is world-renowned as an innovator in modern Danish lighting, but this wasn’t the goal from the start. Founded in 1874 by Ludvig R. Poulsen as a wine importer, the business went through several incarnations before its first pendant lights came to fruition. Through its designs, the company helped establish the foundations of good lighting — function, comfort and ambience — that are now standard in modern furniture design.

In 1924, Danish architect Poul Henningsen partnered with Louis Poulsen & Co., then an electrical supply company, to create what’s now known as the Paris lamp. This design, which incorporated three layers of curved metal disks, created ambience with its indirect light instead of glare. Shown at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris — the exhibition that brought Art Deco design to worldwide attention — the Paris lamp was awarded a gold medal. This led to Poulsen and Henningsen working together on several lighting pieces, including the popular PH pendant light with its concentric shades for the Forum Building in Copenhagen. These high-profile projects helped make Louis Poulsen a go-to purveyor of innovative lighting design.

One of the company’s most well-known lamps is Henningsen’s PH Artichoke lamp (1958), with its 72 copper leaves artfully placed to conceal the light bulb, prevent glare and promote a warm, alluring glow in any room. Another is the steel and die-cast zinc AJ lamp (1960), which Arne Jacobsen designed with an adjustable angled shade for his commission for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The company has also worked with notables such as Verner Panton and Alfred Homann as well as, more recently, Louise Campbell and Oki Sato.

In 2010, the company was awarded the American Institute of Architects’ Honors in Collaborative Achievement Award; it was the first lighting manufacturer to receive this honor. In 2018, the company was acquired by an investment subsidiary of Investindustrial VI L.P.

Still headquartered in Denmark, the brand continues to produce its high-end lighting for both indoor and outdoor use, manufacturing both classic icons as well as new designs. “We design to shape light,” states Louis Poulsen. In doing so, they have also shaped culture.

Find a range of new and vintage Louis Poulsen floor lamps, table lamps and other lighting and furniture on 1stDibs.