'Valigia' Desk Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo
View Similar Items
'Valigia' Desk Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Stilnovo (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 13.7 in (34.8 cm)Width: 9.4 in (23.88 cm)Depth: 14.9 in (37.85 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1977
- Condition:Original cord. Retains original manufacturers label. Takes one E27 60w maximum bulb.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: TL15171stDibs: LU79477190653
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Stilnovo
Though Bruno Gatta (1904–76) founded Stilnovo way back in 1946, it is still one of the most instantly recognizable names in lighting. Gatta began his business in Milan, and, like many European creatives designing furniture and decor in the wake of World War II, Stilnovo leaned toward the new wave of mass-market and streamlined styles. In fact, Stilnovo loosely translates to “new style” in Italian, and vintage Stilnovo lighting has endured as a practical choice for those looking to bring innovative and forward-thinking design into their homes.
Soon after Stilnovo was established, Gatta’s lighting fixtures were applauded throughout Europe for their novel industrial materials as well as their unique yet functional shapes. Italy in the 1950s was forming a completely revolutionized look, and Bruno Gatta and Stilnovo’s head designer, Angelo Gaetano Sciolari, helped shape it. When the 1960s arrived, Stilnovo was experiencing such a boom that the company opened a new production plant in Lainate. One of the brand’s most famous pieces, Giovanni Luigi Gorgoni’s quirky 1965 Buonanotte spherical table lamp, became a best seller.
Gatta partnered with some of the most well-known names in design, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Joe Colombo and Gae Aulenti. Sottsass’s pieces for Stilnovo, including the 1977 Valigia four-legged table lamp, the 1968 Lampros chandelier and Manifesto ceiling light, and the Castiglionis’ 1957 Saliscendi pendant light fixtures are some of the brand’s most recognizable to date. In 1978, De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi designed the Fante lamp with an adjustable reflector that playfully recalls a broad-brimmed hat.
Stilnovo’s designs, including Danilo and Corrado Aroldi’s flexible Periscope table lamp, were featured in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art. While Stilnovo continued to operate with new designer collaborations after Gatta’s death, it closed its doors in 1988. Italian art director Massimo Anselmi acquired the company in 2012 and rereleased several of Stilnovo’s most celebrated pieces. Then in 2019, lighting giant Linea Light Group purchased Stilnovo and relaunched its classic designs with contemporary touches like LED lighting systems.
Find vintage Stilnovo chandeliers and pendants, wall lights, floor lamps and other fixtures and furniture on 1stDibs.
- Studio Table Lamp by Marcello Cuneo for StilnovoBy StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CA"Studio" Table Lamp by Marcello Cuneo for Stilnovo. Designed and manufactured in Italy circa 1950's. Table lamp made of acrylic and enameled steel. Original cord. Signed with molded ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Caleidoscopio Table Lamp by Giorgio Longoni for StilnovoBy StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CARare Caleidoscopio Table Lamp by Giorgio Longoni for Stilnovo in Italy, 1968. Internal pieces of acrylic rotate to create various lighting effects. Ma...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Large Desk Lamp 1925 by Felix Aublet for EcartBy Felix Aublet, Ecart InternationalLocated in Los Angeles, CALarge desk lamp 1925 by Felix Aublet for Ecart. Originally designed in 1931 by Felix Aublet. Current production manufactured in France. Wired for U.S. ...Category
2010s French Art Deco Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
$5,800 / item - Small Desk Lamp 1925 by Felix Aublet for EcartBy Felix Aublet, Ecart InternationalLocated in Los Angeles, CASmall desk lamp 1925 by Felix Aublet for Ecart. Originally designed in 1931 by Felix Aublet. Current production manufactured in France. Wired for U.S....Category
2010s French Art Deco Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
$4,820 / item - Floor Lamp by StilnovoBy StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CAFloor lamp by Stilnovo made of die-cast aluminium with crease paint, nickel-plate brass, opal glass and cast iron base. Manufactured by Stilnovo...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
$6,500 - Floor Lamp by StilnovoBy StilnovoLocated in Los Angeles, CAFloor Lamp by Stilnovo. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1960s. Adjustable cantilever floor lamp, with sectioned enamel finish, as well as a patinated polished brass ste...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Brass, Steel
$16,200
- Valigia Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1977By Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in UTRECHT, NLFour-legged table lamp model Valigia. This oddly shaped table lamp is one of the many designs made by Ettore Sottsass. Inspired by the idea of a simple briefcase. The Valigia table l...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Ettore Sottsass Valigia Table Lamp by Stilnovo, Italy, 1977By Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantFour-legged table lamp model Valigia designed by Ettore Sottsass Jr, manufactured by Stilnovo, Italy, 1977. This funny shaped floor lamp is very typical out of the box thinking by Et...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Valigia Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1977By Ettore SottsassLocated in PARIS, FRValigia floor or table lamp by Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1970s Valigia table or floor lamp with tubular structure in white painted tubular steel. The sheet metal lampshade is bicol...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- “Valigia” Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass, 1970sBy Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Roma, ITA “Valigia” table lamp manufactured by Stilnovo. Chrome-plated tubular steel and varnished steel sheet, with a manufacturer’s label. Very good conditions. Bibliography: Giulia...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Dorane Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for StilnovoBy Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThis is one of the rarer twin bulb models of the Dorane lamps by the great Italian designer, Ettore Sottsasss, one of the founder members of the 'Memphis' group. Not only is this lam...Category
20th Century Italian Minimalist Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- vintage Ettore Sottsass "Don Lamp" for StilnovoBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Saarbrücken, SLIconic Don Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo from Deadstock (new condition) Ettore Sottsass is known for his radical italian design. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal