Louis Kalf for Philips

LOUIS KALFF (Amsterdam, 1897- Waalre, The Netherlands, 1976) for Philips.
Table lamp "Timor", 1950s.
Chromed metal.
Presents stamp and label.
It works
Measurements: 53 x 40 x 40 cm.
Louis C. Kalff was an architect, designer and art director at Philips for advertisements, products, exhibitions and stands. Kalff grew up in an affluent environment in Amsterdam. His father was a lawyer, but went into journalism and became art editor and editor-in-chief of the Algemeen Handelsblad newspaper. Kalff attended high school and spent a year at the Quellinus school in Amsterdam, and in 1916 he began studying engineering in Delft. During his studies he was already designing posters, banners and costumes. In 1923, he did an internship with D.F. Slothouwer.
In 1925 he was put in charge of the commercial and artistic advertising departments of Philips. Kalff also designed products, stands, exhibitions and light shows for Philips. From 1929, he headed the Lichtadviesbureau ("Lighting Advisory Bureau") and was appointed artistic director in 1946. That year he advocated the creation of a centralized design department in which research could also be carried out. However, such a department was not created until 1954, under the direction of his successor, R. Veersema.