Giuseppe Ostuni for O-Luce Pair of Wall Lights in Nickel-Plated Brass

Giuseppe Ostuni for O-Luce, pair of wall lights, variation of model 109, nickel-plated brass, enameled aluminum, Italy, 1951

This rare wall light is the derivative of model 109 and features a streamlined design. Clear in its appearance, use of neutral materials, and refined joints characterize this design. It features a rectangular base in nickel-plated brass from where a slender stem rises. The rotatable joints allow the user to adjust the direction of the stem as well as the shade to one's own requirement. The lamp shade is executed in a creme off-white color and finished with perforations in the middle. In 1950, Giuseppe Ostuni and his brother Angelo Ostuni received international recognition for their exceptional lighting designs, mostly for the application of adjustable features in their designs which was highly innovative during that period.

Giuseppe Ostuni (1907-1994) can be considered one of the most influential designers in modern lighting design. Born in Trieste, Italy in 1907, Giuseppe and his older brother Angelo Ostuni (1904-1981) grew up in turbulent times; in 1915 Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire during the First World War. Only a few years later in 1922, Benito Mussolini became head of the Italian government and began to establish his fascist regime that would last till 1943. During the last year of the Second World War, Giuseppe Ostuni and his family lived with his brother Angelo in Milan. There, Giuseppe started to repair lampshades that had been damaged during the war. New lampshades were made with limited resources, all by hand, due to the lack of available materials. As an autodidact, he designed modern and convenient lighting through intense study and ‘learning by doing’. Soon after, Giuseppe set up his own workshop in 1947, and in 1948 he officially registered his company ‘O-LUCE’. Together with his brother Angelo, who made a great part of the lighting drawings, he worked on numerous designs and worked together with leading designers as Franco Buzzi, Tito Angoli, Joe Colombo, Marco Zanuso and more.

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