Collectable Lighting

   

Here are two lamps we love from 1950!  The Grasshopper floor lamp by Greta Magnusson Grossman and the Sputnik ceiling light by Gino Sarfatti.

Last Saturday we attended a Master Class Talk at Design Miami Basel on Collectible Lighting of the 20th and 21st Centuries. The panel included included Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo in Paris, Evan Snyderman of R 20th Century in New York and Marco Romanelli, the Italian designer and critic. Some of their tips on acquiring collectible lighting included:

1. Buy the history or the story of an object rather than basing a decision solely on aesthetics.

2. Understand what an object meant when it was designed - was it revolutionary in its time? If so, that quality makes it collectible.

3. Rarity, of course is important.

4. Buy the best! This might sound obvious but it’s worth stating here… There is a world of difference between a small collection of important examples in lighting design history versus a large amount of lesser items.

5. Do your research and/or seek the advise of an expert.

Hella Jongerius

We attended the ‘techniques mixtes et dimensions variables’ vernissage at galerie kreo last evening. Susan is standing behind Hella Jongerius’ 2008 Mini-Swatch low table. (Jongerius also produced a smaller version.) A graduate of the Academy for Industrial Design, Eindhoven, and former member of the renowned dutch group droog design, Jongerius has created a body of work that weaves between the boundaries of craft, art, design and technology to exceptional results. 

“I’m designer who uses a lot of ingredients to get to a product. Not only form, but also history, tradition and contemporary inspiration. And I like to mix craft with industry.”—Hella Jongerius for design boom.