Luigi Massoni, Brumbury lamp for Guzzini

LUIGI MASSONI (Milan, 1929) for Guzzini.
Table lamp "Brumbury", 1970s.
Plexiglas, chrome, metal.
With iGuzzini label.
Electrical properties - E14 bulb.
Light signs of use commensurate with its age and use. One scuff mark on the foot; see photos for details.
Measurements: 50 x 50 x 50 cm.

The "Brumbury" table lamp is one of the most iconic pieces of Italian space age design, characterized by a sculptural aesthetic, fluid and very innovative in the use of materials. Formally, it features a large rounded white opaline acrylic lampshade, with an almost spherical or organic volume, which diffuses the light in a soft and uniform way, generating an enveloping environmental effect. This shade rests on a tubular or conical base, often in transparent acrylic, chromed metal or white lacquered, creating a contrast between visual lightness and structural solidity. In short, the Brumbury is an elegant, futuristic and timeless design, perfectly reflecting the experimentation with plastics and organic forms in Italian lighting of that era.

Designer and architect, Luigi Massoni trained at the Collettivo di Architettura in Milan. After his first experiences, between 1953 and 1955, he began his activity as a designer, creating for Alsessi the "Serie 5" bar set and containers, still in production today. Between 1957 and 1960, together with the architect Carlo de Carli, he contributed to the renewal of Italian design at the time, participating in various events promoted in those years, and together they also founded the magazine "Il mobile italiano". In 1959 he joined forces with a group of furniture manufacturers to create Mobilia, one of the first centers for the promotion of Italian design. That same year he joined Bofia Cucine as a designer, for which he created some of the first modular systems for the kitchen and home. Since then he has contributed, as designer and artistic director, to the reputation of many Italian and foreign industries, in a wide variety of fields. He was also editor and director of "Marmo técnica Architettura" (1956-1963) and "Forme" (from 1962). Massoni was called in the mid-sixties to collaborate with Guzzini, and designed numerous fixtures before the company's conversion to the lighting sector in 1975. He was also the first to conceive a corporate image for Guzzini, even studying the graphics of the packaging. Today Massoni's designs can be seen at the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others.