With its undulating, futuristic and playful form, it’s easy to see why filmmaker Stanley Kubrick chose to use Olivier Mourgue’s iconic Djinn chair in his 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the French artist and industrial designer is known for much more than the Space Age Djinn. From his whimsical Flower floor lamps to his anthropomorphic Bouloum chair, Mourgue is renowned as an important contributor to the 1960s Pop art era of modern furniture design.
Born in Paris in 1939, Mourgue grew up in an apartment filled with Empire-style antique furniture, which he derided as having “nothing to do with life.” He later studied art at Paris’s École Boulle, graduating in 1958. He then attended the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
In 1959, his former teacher at École Boulle, Marcel Merpillat, encouraged him to present a chair he designed at a competition hosted by furniture manufacturer Airborne. Airborne founder Charles Bernard was impressed by Mourgue’s design, which featured a leather-upholstered seat attached to a chrome steel frame; it was produced by the company under the name the Joker. Mourgue designed several other mid-century modern pieces for Airborne throughout the 1960s, including the Whist chaise longue, the rotund Montreal chair, the unique Cubique chair and the Djinn series, which first appeared in 1964.
In addition to Airborne, Mourgue has designed for furniture manufacturers such as Disderot and Prisunic, and collaborated with British architect and designer Sir Norman Foster and Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa.
Mourgue worked for Le Mobilier National to design the French Pavilion for Montreal’s Expo ‘67. In 1968, he received the International Design Award from the Institute of Interior Designers in New York for the Djinn lounge chair. He also exhibited several of his works at Expo ‘70 in Osaka, Japan.
Today, Mourgue’s pieces are part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Olivier Mourgue seating, lighting and more.
Olivier Mourgue Model 2093-80 Floor Lamp for Disderot
By Disderot, Olivier Mourgue
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Olivier Mourgue model 2093-80 floor lamp for Disderot. Originally designed in 1969, this sculptural table lamp is a newly produced numbered edition with au...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
$3,540 / item
2093-80 by Olivier Mourgue by Disderot
By Disderot, Olivier Mourgue
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In 1967, Olivier Mourgue invented a flower shaped lighting device, made of aluminum petals fixed on two chromed metal wires, for sconces, ceiling lights and standing lamps. He used t...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Olivier Mourgue Model 2093-150 Floor Lamp for Disderot
By Disderot, Olivier Mourgue
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Olivier Mourgue model 2093-150 floor lamp for Disderot Originally designed in 1969, this sculptural floor lamp is a newly produced numbered edition. Comes ...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Olivier Mourgue Model 2093-A Wall or Ceiling Lamp for Disderot
By Olivier Mourgue, Disderot
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Olivier Mourgue Model 2093-a wall or ceiling lamp for Disderot. Originally designed in 1969, this sculptural lamp is a newly produced numbered edition made in France by Disderot wi...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
$1,638 / item
H 14.97 in W 8.47 in D 15.75 in
Model F170 Étienne Fermigier for Disderot - Available immediately
By Disderot
Located in London, GB
The model F170 exemplifies anti-conformist and futuristic design of the 1970s, during which time the material used were more often synthetic thus producing a shiny or translucent res...
Acrylic
Étienne Fermigier F170 Table Lamp for Disderot
By Disderot, Etienne Fermigier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Étienne Fermigier F170 table lamp for Disderot Originally designed in 1970, the model F170 exemplifies the anti-conformist and futuristic design of the era, during which the materials used were more often synthetic thus producing a shiny or translucent result. Étienne Fermigier uses aluminium and plexiglass for this lamp with soft curves and ultra modern symmetry. The F170 lamp...
Aluminum
2093-S Pendant Lamp by Disderot
Located in Geneve, CH
2093-S Pendant Lamp by Disderot Limited Edition. Designed by Olivier Mourgue Dimensions: Ø 34 x H 300 cm. Materials: Polished stainless steel and aluminum. Delivered with authentic...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Olivier Mourgue Model 2093-225 Floor Lamp for Disderot
By Olivier Mourgue, Disderot
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Olivier Mourgue model 2093-225 floor lamp for Disderot. Originally designed in 1969, this sculptural floor lamp is a newly produced numbered edition. Come...
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
$3,687 / set
H 59.06 in W 13.78 in D 7.88 in
Model 2093-A Olivier Mourgue 'Flower' Wall Applique Sconce. Available Now
By Olivier Mourgue, Pierre Disderot
Located in London, GB
In 1967, Olivier Mourgue invented a flower shaped lighting device, made of aluminum petals fixed on two chromed metal wires, for sconces, ceiling lights and standing lamps. He used this silver caped bulb, which was new at the time, and produced very high quality reflected lighting Pair of wall lights "flower" model Numbered and certificate of authentication...
Chrome
$2,108 / item
H 31.5 in W 13.78 in D 5.12 in
Model 2093-80, Olivier Mourgue 1968 Standing/Table 'Flower' Lamp
By Olivier Mourgue, Pierre Disderot
Located in London, GB
Model 2093 lamp by Olivier Mourgue initially manufactured by Disderot in 1967. In chromed metal and raw aluminum. Silver cap bulb provided. Light loose of chrome veneer on the base. ...
Chrome
$2,750 / item
H 59.06 in W 13.78 in D 9.85 in
Olivier Mourgue 1968 Standing Lamp 'Double Flower' SEE VIDEO
By Olivier Mourgue, Pierre Disderot
Located in London, GB
The standing flower designed by Olivier Mourgue for Disderot, 1968. This standing flower lamp with reflecting bulbs and 2 bent petals has flowers positioned on a chrome wire with a round divided base. Pascal and Olivier Mourgue are two French brothers and designers. They are renowned in the entire world for their ability to combine comfort and aestheticism. Olivier is the designer of famous pieces of furniture including the Djinn long chair (1964) which is present in “the Space Odyssey” movie by Stanley Kubrick. UL Certified Supplied with certificate of authentication...
Chrome
Olivier Mourgue for Disderot Flower Lamp
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Olivier Mourgue for Disderot, floor lamp, model '2093-150', chrome-plated metal, aluminum, France, 1967. An exquisitely distinctive floor lamp designed to captivate. Conceived by ...
Metal, Aluminum
$2,797
H 10.63 in W 5.52 in D 6.7 in
2 SPACE-AGE SEVENTIES TABLE LAMPS by ETIENNE FERMIGIER, DISDEROT, France 1970
By Etienne Fermigier, Disderot
Located in PARIS, FR
A pair of small table lamps or spotlights, Post-Modernist, Free-Form, Seventies, Space-Age, weighted circular bases in white lacquered metal, adjustable structures in matte metal wit...
Metal
10527 Floor Lamp by Disderot
Located in Geneve, CH
10527 Floor Lamp by Disderot Limited Edition. Designed by Michel Mortier Dimensions: Ø 39,7 x H 160 cm. Materials: Lacquered aluminum and opaline. Delivered with authentication cer...
Aluminum