Mezzachimera Lamp By Vico Magistretti For Artemide

The Mezzachimera lamp, created by the renowned Italian designer Vico Magistretti in 1969 and produced by Artemide, is an iconic piece of Italian design from the "Space Age." The lamp is in excellent condition; the plexiglass diffuser has no cracks or breaks, only slight, barely visible scratches on the side of the lamp (see the last photo). Height 78.5 cm, width 21.5 cm. Born into a middle-class Milanese family, Vico Magistretti attended the Parini high school (specializing in classical subjects) before enrolling in the architecture faculty of the Regio Politecnico di Milano in the autumn of 1939. He lived in Switzerland from 1943 to 1944, where he took university courses at the Italian University of Lausanne. It was during this time that he became acquainted with Ernesto Nathan Rogers, who would have a decisive influence on his intellectual development. He returned to Milan in 1945, where he obtained his architecture degree from the Polytechnic University. He immediately began working for the firm of his father, the architect Piergiulio Magistretti, located on Via Conservatorio. The 1950s were a very intense and fruitful period for the young architect, who proposed numerous innovative ideas and quickly established himself as one of the most brilliant representatives of the "third generation." In the following years, he began working more as a designer and architect, creating furniture and objects that would forever remain "classics" of modern design. It was during this period that he designed the Cusano Milanino town hall (1966-1969), the Milano-San Felice district (1966-1975, in collaboration with Luigi Caccia Dominioni), and the house on Piazza San Marco (1969-1971). He also received the Compasso d'Oro award for the Eclisse lamp (1967). During this time, he began working with major companies such as Artemide, Campeggi, Cassina, De Padova, Flou, Fontana Arte, Fritz Hansen, Kartell, Olivari, Oluce, Poggi, Schiffini Mobili Cucine, and Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. His designs are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and in numerous other museums in America and Europe. In the field of architecture, it is worth mentioning his appointment as an honorary member of the Royal College of Art in London, where he also served as a visiting professor. He also participated in exhibitions and conferences in Europe, Japan, and the United States.