Rare Vintage 1960s Nessen Mushroom Lamps
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Von Nessen (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 21 in (53.34 cm)Diameter: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960-1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Lafayette, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU268037538513
Walter Von Nessen
Art Deco industrial designer Walter von Nessen is best known for his glamorous Machine Age lighting designs and for his invention of the swing-arm lamp. Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens, in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling sleek, modern architectural lighting.
Art Deco was both novel and exciting in the late 1920s — as, indeed, was electricity itself — and Nessen Studios was at the forefront of the movement. Electric lighting designers at the time had no direct models to follow. The shapes and silhouettes of gas lamps, lanterns and chandeliers had been influenced by those of the kerosene-, oil- and candle-lit fixtures that preceded them, which in turn were informed by the fuels they used. Electric lighting required designs that accommodated essentials of the new technology, like cords and sockets. Von Nessen and his contemporaries thus had to create fixtures that addressed these challenges and looked modern without appearing overly mechanical.
Along with industrial-design visionaries of the period like Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen crafted a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. And he experimented with other popular materials of the era, such as Bakelite, chrome and fiberglass. His ingenious design for the now-ubiquitous swing-arm lamp earned him a reputation as an innovator.
Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions. Designed to complement the luxurious interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s, still look fresh nearly a century later.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s American Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Carrara Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Bakelite
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Marble, Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Stainless Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American International Style Table Lamps
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Minimalist Table Lamps
Brass
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Table Lamps
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
