Artemide: Illuminating Innovation and Timeless Design in Italian Lighting
Artemide is known as the leader in Italian design lamps. For over 60 years, they have been bringing innovative lamps to market that are characterised as 'design classics'. My admiration for this brand is great, because staying at the forefront of innovative design for 60 years is a remarkable achievement. This week, we dive into Italian brand Artemide with Whoppah explores.
Artemide is the Italian lighting brand I point people to when they ask which second-hand lamp will still look right in twenty years. Founded in 1960 by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza in a suburb of Milan, it produced two of the most copied desk lamps of the twentieth century: Richard Sapper's Tizio from 1972 and the Tolomeo by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassino from 1986, which won the Compasso d'Oro in 1989. Gismondi, an aeronautical engineer who led the company until his death in 2020, put research before styling, and that is exactly why these lamps hold their value on Whoppah: a pre-owned Tolomeo or Tizio is a working tool, not a museum piece. This Whoppah Explores edition looks at the brand and the man behind it.
When was Artemide founded?
Artemide was founded in 1960 by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza and based in a suburb of Milan. Success came quickly to Artemide with its classic designs such as the 1972 Tizio desk lamp by Richard Sapper and the 1986 Tolomeo desk lamp by Michele de Lucchi. The company's motto: light at the service of man and his needs. Technological research, collaborations with great designers, continuous research, also in the socio-cultural field, are the basis of Artemide's success.
Ernesto Gismondi
Gismondi, born in San Remo in 1931. Ernesto Gismondi studied as an aeronautical engineer and later, during his very long career, he became an entrepreneur, designer and teacher. He also held numerous ancillary positions during his career. For instance, he was a member of the influential Memphis design movement, the National Council for Economics and Labour and was Vice-President of the Association for Industrial Design. He also designed a number of products for Artemide himself and was president of the brand at the time of his death in 2020. His ambition was always to distinguish Artemide through innovation with R&D facilities as the heart of the company.
Funfact: Gismondi chose the name because of to appear in the telephone directory for Azucena, Caccia Dominioni's design company.
Who designed the Artemide Tolomeo lamp?
One of Artemide's best-known and most popular lamps is the Tolomeo collection. The Tolomeo lamp was designed by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassino in 1986 and was immediately a huge hit that it won the prestigious "Compasso d'Oro" award in 1989. Since then, the lamp can be found on many stylish desks and, of course, many an architect's drawing board.
