Memphis Milano Table lamp Multicoloured Metal/Plastic material. Dimensions: H
60 cm. The „Memphis Milano“ catalogue includes icons designed by the famous
Memphis collective between 1981 and 1988. True works of art, these
collector's items revolutionised the creative and commercial logic of design in
the 80s. Founded in Milan in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis group brought
together international architects and designers such as Michele De Lucchi,
Matteo Thun, Martine Bedin, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Shiro Kuramata, George J.
Sowden … A true cultural phenomenon, Memphis really shook up the design codes
by voluntarily placing itself outside the canons of „good taste“ of the
time. Out went the pure, hard functionalism and austerity Bauhaus-style, and in
came fantasy with colourful and eccentric creations. The first Memphis
collection hit like a bombshell: a proliferation of exuberant patterns,
explosive colours, intrepid asymmetries, geometric shapes stacked up like
totems, new use of plastic laminate considered „cheap“ until then… Soon,
Memphis became THE subversive label of Italian design with its wacky, colourful
world inspired by comics, Pop Art, cinema, Kitsch and Art Deco. It was a
revolution: design, until then confined to the showrooms, invaded the media and
inflamed passion. Considered symbols of Anti-design and New Design, the Memphis
creations such as the Tahiti table lamp are above all the manifestation of an
unlimited creativity which breaks free of the constraints dictated by industry
and the law of the market. Within the confines of design, architecture, art and
post-modernism, these exceptional pieces are now sought after by collectors
around the world and exhibited in the most prestigious museums. More than
20 years after the end of the movement, the „Memphis Milano“ company
continues to produce around fifty handcrafted historical pieces designed by
Memphis between 1981 and 1988. These original models are collector's items
all bearing the „Memphis“ seal, a guarantee of authenticity. In addition,
each piece has its own paper certificate of authenticity, itself bearing the
„Memphis“ seal. Some models bear the signature of the designer. Designed in
1981 by Ettore Sottsass, the Tahiti lamp with its duck head and cocktail of
colours and materials has become one of the great icons of the Memphis group.
This stylised bird consists of a rectangular plastic laminate base with black
confetti patterns from which lacquered metal elements rise up. Perched at the
end of a long neck, the head formed of a pink lacquered metal disc holds the
light source in its beak. The head pivots. PLEASE NOTE. The bulb that equips the
Tahiti lamp is a G4 20watt 12volt bulb: it is important not to use a more
powerful bulb.
