Joe Colombo

JOE COLOMBO (Italy, 1930-1971).
Pair of ceiling lamps "Spider". Original design from 1965.
Chromed steel and lacquered metal.
Measurements: 160 x 60 cm.

Joe Colombo carried out several versions of the Spider Model, being awarded on several occasions for the floor lamp, the ceiling lamp (the one we are dealing with) and the table lamp. The Spider lamp, an example of Colombo's visionary approach, reveals his ability to transform emerging technologies and materials into a new language of contemporary living. Minimalist in design, the chrome-plated shaft draws a sinuous line on the wall. The reflector slot allows cooling so that the shade does not overheat. The diffuser is adjustable and gives both direct and indirect light.

Spider, originally designed for Oluce, won the 1967 Compasso d'Oro Award in its floor version and is part of the permanent collection of the Triennale in Milan, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum in Düsseldorf and the Neue Sammlung Museum in Monaco, among others.

Colombo was an industrial designer born in Milan. Before devoting himself to design (from the 1950s), he was a painter and sculptor. Some historians believe that it was Colombo who made Milan the capital of design. He designed flexible, compressed interiors with rooms that could vary in size and placement within a single floor. His futuristic vision led him to devise circular shelves that hang from the ceiling, glasses with an off-center foot so that wine and cigarettes could be held in the same hand. He believed in plastic as a modern, revolutionary and effective material. He began experimenting with new materials, such as reinforced plastic, and with novel construction techniques and manufacturing methods. His first design for Kartell was chair No. 4801 (1963-1964) in three pieces of plywood. Such a design inspired his later work with plastic, such as the Universale Chair No. 4860 (1965-1967), the first adult seat molded in injection molded plastic (ABS). He died at the age of 40 while preparing for a major exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.