Desk Lamp
Design Date 1950s
Designer Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999, French)
Manufacturer Philips International (1891–present), France
Media steel, brass and plastic
Dimensions 9 3/4 x 17 x 9 1/4 inches
Influenced by the writings of Le Corbusier, early in her career Charlotte Perriand applied for work at the famed architect and designer’s studio and, after an initial rejection, was hired. Her ten-year collaboration (1927–1937) with Le Corbusier and his partner and cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, produced some of the most iconic furniture of the era, including the swivel back B301 Basculant Chair, the LC2 Grand Confort Armchair and the LC4 Chaise Longue. After leaving Le Corbusier’s studio, Perriand spent several years in Japan and Vietnam, a period that reinforced her love of nature and introduced new materials into her work like wood, paper and bamboo. She returned to France following WWII and continued to design furniture and interiors, experimenting with materials and the idea that interior design should make life both easier and more beautiful. Perriand’s sense of economy and space is visible in the design of this lamp: a single sheet of steel is cut and bent into shape to form the base, leaving the light source floating over the central void and visually lightening the weight of the piece.
ON VIEW in Bauhaus Gallery 5
Markings "PHILIPS" logo sticker lower left front
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2014.0042
