Matteo Thum for Castelli in Fiore

MATTEO THUN (Bolzano, Italy, 1952) for Studio Production
Table lamp from the “Castelli in Fiore” series. 1980s.
Ceramic, metal, and paint.
Measurements: 80 x 30 x 30 cm.

A sculptural table lamp made of white ceramic, metal, and paint. Its design is inspired by the traditional oil lamp, whose forms are reduced to their essential elements through an industrial and minimalist aesthetic. The cylindrical body, the curved side handle, and the spherical top reinterpret the characteristic components of the traditional lamp through a formal synthesis that dispenses with all superfluous elements.The title Castelli in Fiore (“castles in bloom”) and the reference to Torre Pesciolini suggest an exploration of vertical forms, architectural volumes, and profiles reminiscent of monumental buildings or structures.
Matteo Thun was an Italian architect and designer who trained at the Salzburg Academy under Oskar Kokoschka and later graduated from the University of Florence. In 1978, he moved to Milan, where he met Ettore Sottsass, and in 1981 he co-founded Sottsass Associati and the Memphis Group. In 1984, he founded his own studio and worked for Swatch, serving as its artistic director from 1990 to 1993. From 1983 to 2000, he taught design and ceramics at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. He currently heads a leading firm called Matteo Thun & Partners, a multicultural architecture and design studio based in Milan with a branch in Munich that focuses on hospitality, residential, and urban design projects. Throughout his career as an artist, he has received numerous awards.