Poul Henningsen, PH 2/2 lamp for Louis Poulsen, 1930's.

POUL HENNINGSEN (Denmark, 1894 - 1967) for LOUIS POULSEN.
PH 2/2 "The Question mark" table lamp, 1930s.
With bright polished brass and yellow frosted shades marked as patented.
Measurements: 41 cm (height).

The PH 2/2 table lamp, with the brass shaft in the shape of a question mark, was designed by Poul Henningsen. It is a variant created from his 1958 PH Artichoke and, like that one, is characterized above all by the quality of a design that visibly contributes to beautifying the architectural space in which it is placed. The frosted yellow overlapping sheets that make up its screen use the hallmarks of light to prevent glare and create an aesthetic effect of great beauty; they redirect and reflect light, resulting in a unique and distinctive illumination.

Danish designer, architect and critic, Poul Henningsen was one of the key figures in the cultural life of Denmark in the interwar period. He studied architecture between 1911 and 1917, but never graduated, as he decided to become an inventor and painter. Nevertheless, he worked as an architect and became one of the most prominent advocates of functionalism. In his career as a designer, his most famous creation was the "PH Artichoke" lamp, a simple lamp that used hallmarks of light to avoid glare and create an aesthetic effect of great beauty. Its success enabled Henningsen to finance his later work. He is currently representing at the Danish Museum of Art and Design, the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert in London, among many others.