He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.
In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.
Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads.
Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).
Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.
As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.
Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Table lamp model “524" by Franco Albini, Italy, 1952
By Franco Albini
Located in Barcelona, ES
Table lamp model “524” Made in collaboration with Franca Helg Manufactured by Arteluce Italy, 1952 Openwork Perspex in a chrome frame Measurements 41 Ø cm x 47h cm. 16,14 Ø in x 18,5...
Chrome
Pietro Chiesa, Floor Lamp "Luminator", Italy, 1963
By Pietro Chiesa
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pietro Chiesa (1913-2016) Floor lamp model “Luminator” Manufactured by Fontana Arte Italy, 1963 Painted steel and concrete base covered in brass. Measurements 33 Ø cm x 186h cm 12,99 Ø in x 73,22h in Literature Domus, n. 115, luglio, 1937, p. 16, pubblicita`; F. Deboni, Fontana Arte. Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand, Allemandi Editore, Torino, 2012, ill. 95, 96. Condition Some dents on the edges and corrosions over the lamshade and base. Biography Pietro Chiesa (born 1892, Milan–died 1948...
Steel
King Sun Enamelled Aluminum Italian 1960s White Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Gae Aulenti Table lamp model “King Sun” Manufactured by Kartell Italy, 1967. Enameled aluminum, acrylic. Measurements: 74 cm x 79 cm x 71 H cm. 29 in x 19.25 in x 28 H in.
Aluminum
Lisa Johansson-Pape Table Lamp Manufactured by Orno, Finland, 1950
By Lisa Johansson-Pape
Located in Barcelona, ES
Lisa Johansson-Pape Table lamp Manufactured by Orno Finland, 1950 Brass, leather, canvas shade From the archives of Side Gallery. Barcelona Measurements 10 cm x 10 cm x 69 H cm 3.93 in x 3.93 in x 27.10 H in Literature Design Musuem, Lisa Johansson-Pape, Helsinki, 1986; Ornamo, Helsinki, 1962 Bio Finnish designer Lisa Johansson-Pape enjoyed a long and varied career in lighting, furniture, textile, and ceramic design. She was one of Finland’s leading lighting designers in the 20th century and was instrumental in promoting Finnish design internationally. Born in 1907, Lisa Johansson-Pape studied at the Industrial Art Institute in Helsinki University of Art & Design (Now Aalto University of Art & Design), graduating in 1928. She worked as a furniture designer for Kylmäkoski and Stockmann and created carpets for the Friends of Finnish Handicraft, before turning her attention to lighting design. She collaborating with the Stockmann-owned lighting factory Orno from 1942, famously remarking, “it was quite by accident that I became a design light artist. By education, I am a furniture designer, but I had to make lamps during the war.” Notable designs include the Lisa (1947), Sipuli (1954), and Laura (1957) pendant lamps. The Sipuli, often referred to by the English translation Onion, resembles the form of the vegetable for which it was named. The angular design in opaline glass was awarded a gold medal at the Triennale di Milano in 1954, which was just one of several prizes Johansson-Pape received in her career; she was also awarded a silver medal at the 1951 Triennale...
Brass
Luis Barragan '1902-1988' Ceramic Table Lamp, Mexico, 1952
By Luis Barragan
Located in Barcelona, ES
Luis Barragan (1902-1988) Ceramic table lamp From Casa del Pedregal (Casa Prieto López) Manufactured by Hugo X. Velázquez México, 1952 Ceramic, parc...
Ceramic, Leather
Gaetano Pesce Table Lamp "Abat-Jour", 1995
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Barcelona, ES
Table Lamp Model "Abat-Jour" by Gaetano Pesce Manufactured by Fish Design Italy, 1995 Cast Polyurethane over steel wire frame with three resin feet 30 cm diameter x 50h cm 11,8 in...
Steel
Model 222 or flash table lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce, Italy 1960s.
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Landgraaf, NL
Model 222 table lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce, Italy 1960s. The model 222 is also known as the MiniFlash and designed in 1968. White laquered lamp and base. The round base is refin...
Aluminum
Italian Model 2207 'Flash' Table Lamp by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, 1970s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Chicago, IL
An Italian Model 2207 'Flash' table lamp by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, designed in the 1970s, where light becomes as much a part of the form as the object itself. A cylindrical lacquer...
Aluminum
Flash Table Lamp Model 2207 by Joe Colombo for O-Luce, 1970s
By O-Luce, Joe Colombo
Located in Rotterdam, NL
The Flash table lamp model 2207 designed by Joe Colombo for O-Luce reflects the innovative spirit of its creator. Flash was designed as a well thought-o...
Metal
KD29 Table Lamp by Joe Colombo for Kartell, Italy, 1967
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District
Designed in 1967 by Joe Colombo for Kartell, the KD29 table lamp is a quintessential icon of Italian Space Age design. The lamp features a glowing hemispherical acrylic shade suspend...
Acrylic, Wood
Angelo Mangiarotti ‘Saffo’ Table Lamp for Artemide, 1960s
By Artemide, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
Designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Artemide in the 1960s, the ‘Saffo’ table lamp is a study in form and material. Made from hand-blown Murano glass, it has a smooth, organic shape th...
Metal
"Saffo" Table lamp by Angelo Mangiarotti for Artemide - 1960s
By Artemide, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Italian design - decoration - Vintage Measures : Ø 21cm - 33cm The Saffo table lamp was designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Artemide in 1967. It was named after the Greek lyric poet...
Art Glass
