Along with Eero Aarnio’s Bubble Chair and Verner Panton’s graphic textile patterns, The Nesso Table Lamp by Artemide remains a quintessential symbol of the 1960′s, a glossy, playful reminder of an era when industrial style was as a lot a component of the counter-cultural movement as go-go boots and peace symbols. But, unlike most factors that arrive with expiration dates, the Nesso Table Lamp’s irresistible, monochromatic form remains as beguiling today as it did in 1965, the year Giancarlo Mattioli’s, sensuous, mushroom-shaped table lamp won a competitors sponsored by two venerable names in Italian design: lighting manufacturer Artemide and Domus, the style and architecture magazine founded by Gio Ponti.Nesso’s instantly iconic shape—beautifully contoured, dimpled lampshade (said to be inspired by a woman’s navel) and gently flared base—was as dramatic as it was basic, its single-color molded resin profile lending it the kind of visual elegance and sculptural panache destined to be noticed by museums and shoppers alike. Emblematic of a decade that thumbed its nose at tradition, it’s tiny wonder that Nesso’s arrival ignited the imagination: it was like absolutely nothing that had been seen just before. The higher wonder, in fact, is that almost half a century later, it remains like nothing we’ve observed considering that.
Now, by way of March 22, the Nesso Table Lamp, along with all Artemide lighting, is on sale at a 15% reduction. Shop here.
Pictures: Artemide Dwell Design Sponge