As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.
Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.
When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.
In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.
Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.
“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.
Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.
Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.
Model 282 Table Lamp by Paolo Caliari for Oluce
By Paolo Caliari, Oluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 282 Table Lamp by Paolo Caliari for Oluce. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1960s. Tulip polished brass base, paired with a fringe shade. The shade is a cream colo...
Steel, Brass, Aluminum
Single LTA6 Table Lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena
By Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Azucena
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Single LTA6 Table Lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena Designed and manufactured in Italy, in 1966. Early model LTA6 with a very worked-in patina to the blackened steel. The la...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Kuta Table Lamp by Vico Magistretti
By Vico Magistretti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Kuta table lamp by Vico Magistretti. Current production designed and manufactured in France by Nemo Lighting. Circular reflector in alum...
Aluminum, Chrome
G24 Table Lamp by Pierre Guariche
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
G24 table lamp by Pierre Guariche. Current production by Sammode Studio designed and manufactured in France. Brass, enameled metal. Wired for U...
Brass, Metal
Bino Table Lamp by Vittorio Gregotti and Lodovico Meneghetti for Candle
By Lodovico Meneghetti, Giotto Stoppino and Vittorio Gregotti, Candle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bino" table lamp by Lodovico Meneghetti, Giotto Stoppino and Vittorio Gregotti for Candle. Designed and manufactured in Italy, 1968. Acrylic, aluminum, chrome. Original EU cord. Diff...
Aluminum, Chrome
Arenzano Bassa by Ignazio Gardella for Tato
By Ignazio Gardella
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In 1956 the maestro Ignazio Gardella created the Arenzano lamp. He named it after the Ligurian seaside resort where he designed and built numerous buildings for the Milanese establis...
Brass, Iron
first edition Atollo table lamp designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977 Oluce Italy
By Oluce, Vico Magistretti
Located in Antwerpen, Antwerp
This rare “Atollo” table lamp, designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977 for Oluce, is a true icon of Italian modern design. Awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1979, the Atollo is celebrated w...
Metal
Large “Atollo” Table Lamp Model 233 by Vico Magistretti for Oluce, Italy, 1970ss
By Oluce, Vico Magistretti
Located in amstelveen, NL
Iconic Italian table lamp model Atollo 233, designed by Vico Magistretti for Oluce in 1977. This large-scale example dates to the 1970s and represents one of the most celebrated an...
Metal
Vintage Atollo lamp by Vico Magistretti for Oluce, 1977
By Vico Magistretti, Oluce
Located in Athens, Attiki
This is perhaps Vico Magistretti’s most famous lamp. The Oluce Atollo table lamp consists of two main parts. Firstly, the pattern of simple geometric figures. It seems to translate...
Metal, Aluminum
Vico Magistretti Atolollo lamp for Oluce gold large size
By Vico Magistretti, Oluce
Located in Milano, Lombardia
An icon lamp designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977, it won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1979 and has since become part of the permanent collections of major design museums. such a lamp...
Metal
Vico Magistretti 'Atollo' Small Metal Satin Bronze Table Lamp by Oluce
By Vico Magistretti, Oluce
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977 Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. Designed in 1977 by Vico Magistretti, over the years, Atollo has become the archetype of the table lamp, winning the Compasso d’Oro in 1979 and completely revolutionising the way we imagine the classic bedside lamp. The geometric shapes that compose it - cylinder, cone and hemisphere - have resulted in a product that is decorative and essential at the same time, disconnected from the historical period and the fashions of the moment, and one that has now fully become one of the icons of Italian design. Materials and color: Metal satin bronze Dimensions: D 25 cm x W 25 cm x H 35 cm Technical information: 2 x max 40 W (E14) This lamp is wired for Europe, if used in US or any other country the client will need to convert it. Founded in 1945, Oluce is the oldest Italian design company in the lighting sector still in operation today. Oluce lighting’s design aesthetic is crisp, linear, and decorative. A subtle, intellectual beauty that over the years has led the company to produce some of the more recognizable and admired iconic lighting in the world. Oluce, already participating at the 9th Triennale in Milan, throughout its long history, has received numerous acknowledgements including two Golden Compass awards, two Design Awards and the Gold Medal at the 13th Triennale in Milan. Its lamps appear in the most important permanent design collections worldwide. Oluce’s expertise reveals its unparalleled manufacturing excellence which transforms into objects an untiring technological research into the potential of light. Each lamp is a milestone along this journey. Over time, from unusual materials, original designs and new lighting sources ensued revolutionary iconic designs by Tito Agnoli, Joe Colombo, Marco Zanuso, Ostuni e Forti, and Vico Magistretti, who since the 1950s, have been rewriting the history of lighting. Recent collections reaffirm Oluce design and decorative approach, expressed through the signs by Italian and international designers such as Angeletti & Ruzza, Francesco Rota, Nendo, Victor Vasilev...
Metal
Vico Magistretti for Oluce "Atollo 235" Table Lamp, Italy 1970s
By Vico Magistretti, Oluce
Located in Naples, IT
Table lamp providing direct and diffused light in opaline Murano glass. Conceived in 1977 by Vico Magistretti, Atollo has over the years become the archetype of the table lamp, winni...
Glass
