Artemide

Italy

Corporation

Produzent

In 1959, the engineer Ernesto Gismondi and architect Sergio Mazza founded Artemide, in Pregnana near Milan, Italy, with the goal of producing lamps and furniture. Gismondi and Mazza both cultivated a comprehensive understanding of design: Mazza co-founded the magazine Ottagono, where he was editor-in-chief from 1966 to 1988; Gismondi’s financial support was decisive for the breakthrough of the Memphis group in the early 1980s. Among the first serially produced Artemide products was Mazza’s Alfa lamp (1959). Later, Gismondi also regularly designed lighting for Artemide – sometimes under the pseudonym Örni Halloween. Other lamp designs followed, including those by Enzo Mari or Livio Castiglioni. In 1967, Vico Magistretti had an early success with his small, mechanically dimmable Eclisse lamp. Magistretti also began to work with Artemide to explore new possibilities for the production of plastic furniture. His chairs – Selene (1961–68) and Gaudí (1970) – and his tables – Demetrio (1966) and Stadio (1966) – helped cultivate the company’s image at home and abroad as a leading producer of furniture and lighting made of ABS plastic. In the wake of the 1970s oil crisis, Artemide ceased the development of new plastic furniture and accessories but continued producing individual items into the 1990s. The iconic lamps Tizio (1972) by Richard Sapper and Tolomeo (1986) by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina created the basis for the firm’s international reputation and the widespread success of its lighting programme. Among the numerous architects and designers working with Artemide today are Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Herzog & de Meuron, and Naoto Fukasawa. In 1995, Artemide received the Italian industrial design award Compasso d’Oro Career Award. Artemide [website] accessed 24.07.2026. Artemide, ed., Artemide. Fünfzig Jahre (Berlin: Jovis, 2010).