Yasha Heifetz for Heifetz Birch Globe and Metal Tripod Base Table Lamp, ca 1950s

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Yasha Heifetz for Heifetz Birch Globe and Metal Tripod Base Table Lamp, ca 1950s

About the Item

Rare table lamp designed by Yasha Heifetz for The Heifetz Company in the 1950s, consisting of a natural birch globe with painted metal tripod hairpin legs. This example features the original shade in a tan linen on styrene. Measures 26" high to top of finial, base is 10-1/4" wide x 10-1/4" deep, 19" to top of socket. Shade measures 10" diameter at top ring, 19" at bottom ring and 8.5" between rings. Lamp is in working condition but as with any vintage lighting it is highly suggested that the buyer ask an electrician to confirm condition of the wiring and rewire if necessary. When Marcel Breuer designed and furnished a house for an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, he intentionally left out lamps. In an interview in November of 1949, he said that he could not find a well-designed modern lamp - and that, anyway, lamps were unnecessary. "The light is more important than the lamp," he said. In February of 1950, lamp designer Yasha Heifetz (not to be confused with Jascha Heifetz, the violinist) countered that built-in lighting was "flat and static," and he set out to prove the value of a good lamp. With the MoMA, in 1950 he co-sponsored a national lamp design contest, hoping to change the opinions of Breuer and other modernist purists about domestic lighting. Over 600 competitors entered, submitting almost 3,000 designs. Heifetz, Breuer, the museum's director René d’Harnoncourt, the museum's director of the department of architecture and design Philip Johnson, lighting designer Richard Kelly and others acted as jurors. Some of the competitors were Richard Schultz of Knoll, as well as Frank Greenhaus and Kevin Roche, both of whom worked for Eero Saarinen, along with Alexey Brodovitch, art director for Harper's Bazaar. Fifteen winners were announced in 1951, and Heifetz immediately began producing ten of the winning designs. Breuer was won over and started ordering lamps for his clients. The modern lamp had gained legitimacy. The Heifetz Company started in 1938. Their primary product was table lamps, but they also made ashtrays, wood and metal sculptural items and some furniture. Over the twenty-five years that Heifetz was in business, he estimated that the company produced approximately 4,000 pieces and that he designed about half of them, the most popular of which had abstract bases made of ceramic, wood or metal.

Creator:
Yasha Heifetz (Designer),Heifetz (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
Power Source:
Plug-in
Voltage:
110-150v
Lampshade:
Included
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Birch,Iron,Linen,Metal,Plastic
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Some light wear and faint scratches to wood. Some minor oxidation to metal base. Shades show wear around the rim and some scratches to the shade material. Please review detailed images for full condition.
Seller Location:
Cathedral City, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: OC 96241stDibs: LU8352233909322