Franco Albini, Franca Helg, Antonio Piva. For Sirrah

FRANCO ALBINI (Robbiate, Lecco, 1905–Milan, 1977), FRANCA HELG (Milan, 1920–1989), and ANTONIO PIVA (Padua, 1936) for Sirrah, Imola.
Table lamp. “AM/AS” series, designed in 1969.
Chrome-plated steel and opal glass shade.
In very good condition.
Measurements: 65 x 30 x 45 cm.

The “AM/AS” series emerged at a particularly significant moment in the collaboration between the Albini-Helg-Piva studio and Sirrah. The firm had been founded in Imola in 1968 and made its debut that same year at the Triennale di Milano, presenting a series of lighting fixtures designed by the studio; the “AM/AS” family, developed in 1969, extended this exploration through a system designed to articulate different lighting solutions based on a common design language.

In this table lamp version, rationalist minimalism is combined with a pronounced sculptural presence. The chrome-plated structure traces a sweeping curve that supports the opal diffuser, contrasting the linear precision of the metal with the rounded, luminous form of the glass. The cross-shaped base reinforces the geometric clarity of the whole, while the reflective chrome and the light softened by the opaline glass create a refined interplay between structure, transparency, and light diffusion.

Franco Albini and Franca Helg formed one of the key partnerships in postwar Italian design. Albini, a central figure in Italian rationalism, received three Compasso d’Oro awards, while Helg combined her professional work with an extensive teaching career at the Politecnico di Milano. Antonio Piva, born in Padua in 1936, collaborated with the Albini studio and, at the same time, pursued a distinguished career as an architect, museum designer, and professor of Architectural Design at the Politecnico di Milano.