Artemide: Light, Research and Italian Design

Sergio Mazza designed Alfa, Artemide’s first lamp, in 1959. A year later, he and Ernesto Gismondi founded the company in Milan. Its first manufacturing facility opened in Pregnana Milanese in 1972; the town remains the group’s base.^[1,2]

Vico Magistretti designed Eclisse in 1965; the lamp received the Compasso d’Oro in 1967. Its fixed outer shell and rotating inner shade allow the light to shift between direct and diffused. Its simple moving element turns a technical adjustment into the defining gesture of the design.^[3]

Richard Sapper designed Tizio in 1972. Its articulated arms form a counterbalanced system, and the structure carries power to the lamp head. The original low-voltage halogen version was later joined by LED versions, which update the light source while retaining the recognizable mechanical arrangement.^[1,2,4]