Joan Antoni Blanc

JOAN ANTONI BLANC (Tortosa, 1940) for TRAMO.
Floor lamp. Spain, ca. 1968–1970.
Acrylic and metal.
Vintage piece. Exhibits wear consistent with age and use. In working order.
Measurements: 185 x 44 cm.

A mushroom-inspired floor lamp designed by Joan Antoni Blanc for Tramo—a company founded by the iconic Catalan designer Miguel Milà—during the 1960s and 1970s, a period of peak creativity for the Barcelona-based firm and for Spanish industrial design in general. The piece consists of a trumpet-shaped base and a cylindrical shaft in dark navy blue lacquered metal, with a chrome-plated steel upper stem and a wide, white methacrylate hemispherical shade that houses two lamp holders activated by pull chains. A plastic adjustment mechanism in the middle of the shaft allows the lamp’s height to be adjusted, giving it remarkable versatility of use. The interplay between the deep blue of the base and the whiteness of the dome lends the piece a presence of great chromatic elegance. Joan Antoni Blanc, a native of Tortosa (1940), was one of the founders of the Eina School and a leading advocate for incorporating technological knowledge and orienting design toward industrial applications. Among his accolades are several Delta ADI-FAD awards, and three of his pieces are included in the permanent collection of the Barcelona Design Museum.