Italian Lighting Design 1945-2000

Book excerpt: Following World War II, Italian industrial designers began to earn worldwide acclaim for their lamp and lighting designs; since then the country has produced landmark models that have become classics of modern and contemporary design, such as lamps by the Castiglioni brothers and Artemide. This richly illustrated book documents the evolution of Italian lamp and lighting design from 1945 to the end of the twentieth century. A collection of essays by design historian Alberto Bassi, organized in seventeen sections, traces the industry’s critical and commercial successes and the unique relationship between tradition, decorative quality, technology, and production. Included are profiles of individual designers such the Castiglioni brothers, Vico Magistretti, Gino Sarfatti and Pietro Chiesa, and manufacturers such as Flos, Fontana Arte, and Luceplan. The book reproduces more than 300 archival and new photographs, original advertisements, product displays, and installations of lights and lighting. This volume is the second in a new series, inaugurated by ABC: Twentieth-Century Graphic Design, aimed not just at a traditional readership of architects but also at people working in the field of graphics and students at the new faculties of design.