Poul Henningsen

POUL HENNINGSEN (Denmark, 1894 - 1967).
Snowball ceiling lamp.
Lacquered metal.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
With labels.
Measurements: 38 x 40 cm.

The Snowball lamp by Poul Henningsen, from 1924, is characterized by the perfect mathematical precision of its shapes and proportions, so that each surface receives a beam of light at the exact same angle. The result is an optimal and balanced light distribution without glare.

Danish designer, architect and critic, Poul Henningsen was one of the key figures in Danish cultural life 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.