Artemide

Artemide – Italian luminaire manufactory since 1959/1960

Founding and location:

Artemide was founded in 1959/1960 in Milan by the Italian engineer Ernesto Gismondi (born 25 December 1931 in Sanremo, died 31 December 2020) and the architect and designer Sergio Mazza. Gismondi had completed his studies in aeronautical and aerospace engineering at the Politecnico di Milano in 1957 and, in 1959, obtained a further degree in rocket engineering at the Scuola Superiore di Ingegneria Missilistica in Rome. Today's Artemide Group grew out of Studio Artemide S.a.s. As early as 1959, Sergio Mazza designed the young company's first luminaire, named "Alfa," made of glass, marble and metal.
In 1972, Artemide opened its first own production plant in Pregnana Milanese near Milan, which to this day houses the company's headquarters and central manufacturing. Today the group has production sites in Italy and Hungary, its own glassworks, and a research and development centre.

Company philosophy "The Human Light":

In 1996, under Ernesto Gismondi and Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Artemide formulated the guiding idea of "The Human Light," which places light at the service of the human being, their well-being and their perception. This philosophy remains defining for product development to this day and is continued in the current brand identity as "Human & Responsible Light."
Designers and design signature

Sergio Mazza – co-founder and first designer:

The architect Sergio Mazza designed the first Artemide table lamp, the "Alfa," in 1959. His contribution shaped the company's beginnings with a design language that combined materials such as glass, marble and metal with industrial manufacturing.

Vico Magistretti (1920–2006):

The Milanese architect and designer Vico Magistretti designed the "Eclisse" table lamp for Artemide in 1967 – a compact spherical lamp of lacquered metal whose inner rotating shade allows the light to be modulated steplessly. That same year, the "Eclisse" was awarded the prestigious Italian design prize Compasso d'Oro. It is still produced today and, with well over 500,000 units sold, is regarded as one of the brand's most successful models.

Giancarlo Mattioli and Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova:

The jellyfish-shaped table lamp "Nesso" was designed by the Milanese architect Giancarlo Mattioli together with the collective Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova. It emerged from the "Studio Artemide Domus di Milano" design competition announced in 1965 by Artemide and Editrice Domus, and went into series production in 1967. "Nesso" was one of the first lamps made of injection-moulded ABS and is today part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Livio Castiglioni (1911–1979) and Gianfranco Frattini (1926–2004):

The tube-shaped "Boalum" lamp, designed in 1970 by Livio Castiglioni and Gianfranco Frattini, was described by the magazine Domus as a "snake of infinite light." It is made of flexible, translucent PVC with reinforced resin end pieces, can be coupled in segments of up to four units, and was produced from 1970 to 1983. A revision followed in 1999; in the current edition, the classic incandescent bulb is replaced by LED technology. Both designers were graduates of the Politecnico di Milano (Castiglioni 1936, Frattini 1953); Frattini had previously worked in the studio of Gio Ponti.

Richard Sapper (1932–2015):

The industrial designer Richard Sapper, born in Munich and living in Milan, designed the "Tizio" desk lamp for Artemide in 1972. It was the first series-produced lamp with a halogen light source and, through its balanced articulated-arm system without visible power cables, became a symbol of Italian design. In 1979, the "Tizio" received the Compasso d'Oro.

Michele De Lucchi (born 1951) and Giancarlo Fassina:

The articulated-arm lamp "Tolomeo" was designed in 1986 by Michele De Lucchi together with the Artemide engineer Giancarlo Fassina and introduced into series production in 1987. De Lucchi drew on the traditional type of the balanced-arm lamp (one model being the "Naska Loris") and combined it with anodised aluminium and modern manufacturing. A key technical innovation by Fassina was the replacement of the aluminium pulleys with nylon pulleys, which enabled a quiet and smooth movement of the arms. In 1989, the "Tolomeo" was awarded the Compasso d'Oro. Today, around 500,000 Tolomeo lamps are manufactured annually at the plant specialised for this purpose.

Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) and the Memphis Group:

From the outset, Ernesto Gismondi and Artemide supported the Memphis design group founded by Ettore Sottsass in Milan in 1980/81. Artemide took over the manufacture and distribution of the Memphis designs. The first Memphis exhibition took place on 18 and 19 September 1981 during the Salone del Mobile at the Galleria Arc '74 on Via Manzoni in Milan and showed 55 pieces of furniture, lamps and ceramic objects. Sottsass and his young collaborators – among them Martine Bedin, Aldo Cibic, Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun and Marco Zanini – thereby lastingly changed the international design discussion.

Enzo Mari (1932–2020):

For Artemide, Enzo Mari designed the "Polluce" table lamp in 1965 in collaboration with Anna Castelli Ferrieri (Fasolis) – an early example of the close connection between plastic and an intellectually rigorous Italian design language at Artemide.

Eric Solé (born 1960 in Paris):

The French designer Eric Solé studied architecture at UP1 and founded Studio Trax Design in 1987. For Artemide he designed the "Mesmeri" wall lamp of die-cast aluminium, whose elliptical, asymmetrically curved form conceals the light source and produces a soft, indirect light.

Carlotta de Bevilacqua (born 1957):

Carlotta de Bevilacqua completed her architecture studies at the Politecnico di Milano in 1983. From the early 1990s onwards, she developed a new generation of LED lamps for Artemide and Danese, with numerous patents and awards. She is the wife of Ernesto Gismondi and, after his death in 2020, took over the position of President and CEO of the Artemide Group; she is also President of Danese Milano.

Issey Miyake (1938–2022) – IN-EI collection (2012):

The Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake developed, together with the Reality Lab Tokyo, the "IN-EI" lamp collection for Artemide, which was presented in 2012 on the occasion of Milan Design Week (Salone del Mobile). The name "IN-EI" (陰翳) means "shadow, penumbra, nuance" in Japanese. The foldable lamp shades are made from a single piece of recycled PET textile fibre, require no inner frame and, according to the manufacturer, reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in production by up to 40 percent compared with conventional materials. The collection includes, among others, the models "Mendori," "Minomushi" and "Tatsuno-Otoshigo."

Other designers (selection):

Among the numerous other designers who have worked or work for Artemide are, among others, Gae Aulenti, Mario Botta, Hannes Wettstein (floor lamp series "Metamorfosi," from 1996), Karim Rashid, Ross Lovegrove, Naoto Fukasawa, Herzog & de Meuron, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid Architects, Mario Cucinella and Neil Poulton.

Significant products and milestones:

1959: First Artemide lamp "Alfa" by Sergio Mazza. 1965: Announcement of the "Studio Artemide Domus di Milano" design competition together with Editrice Domus; Enzo Mari designs "Polluce." 1967: "Eclisse" by Vico Magistretti wins the Compasso d'Oro; "Nesso" by Giancarlo Mattioli/Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova goes into series production. 1970: Market launch of the "Boalum" by Livio Castiglioni and Gianfranco Frattini. 1972: Opening of the production plant in Pregnana Milanese; "Tizio" by Richard Sapper comes onto the market. 1979: Compasso d'Oro for the "Tizio." 1981: First Memphis exhibition at the Galleria Arc '74 in Milan, with production and distribution by Artemide. 1987: Market launch of the "Tolomeo" by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina. 1989: Compasso d'Oro for the "Tolomeo." 1995: Compasso d'Oro alla Carriera (Career Award) for Ernesto Gismondi. 1996: Formulation of the guiding idea "The Human Light." 2012: Presentation of the "IN-EI" collection by Issey Miyake during Milan Design Week. 2020: Death of company founder Ernesto Gismondi; Carlotta de Bevilacqua takes over the chairmanship and management of the Artemide Group.

Product philosophy and current profile:

Artemide develops, designs and manufactures indoor and outdoor luminaires for residential, work and public spaces and is regarded as one of the most important Italian lighting manufacturers. According to its own information, the group operates five production sites in Italy, France, Hungary and Canada as well as two of its own glassworks, and employs over 750 people worldwide, around 60 of them in research and development. Distribution takes place through 24 subsidiaries in 98 countries and more than 55 brand-owned showrooms in, among other places, New York, London, Paris and Tokyo (Artemide Japan K. K., Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku). Classics such as "Alfa," "Eclisse," "Nesso," "Boalum," "Tizio" and "Tolomeo" are still produced today and are firmly established parts of international design history. The company's products are held in the permanent collections of major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome. Current collections are created in collaboration with international designers and architecture firms and continue the brand's tradition under the guiding idea of "The Human Light."
Artemide
Vintage luminaires by Artemide such as the Tolomeo Tavolo, the Sintesi Nomad or the Zen pendant lamp are regularly available in the range of Max's Vintage Art. All pieces are verified originals from Italian production.

Sources and references:

German-language sources
Artemide.com – Company / Identity (official company page, DE)

Artemide.com – History (official company chronicle, DE)

MyArtemide.de – "Design made in Italy: Ernesto Gismondi, der Gründer von Artemide"

Designtolike.de – "Artemide: Italienischer Pionier des Lichtdesigns"

AmbienteDirect Stylemag – "50 Jahre Tizio von Artemide"

AW-Magazin – Designerlexikon Ernesto Gismondi

German Design Council – Interview mit Carlotta de Bevilacqua
English-language sources

Artemide.com – Company / Identity (official, EN)

Artemide.com – Awards (official list of awards)

Artemide.com – Designer Ernesto Gismondi (official)

Artemide.com – Designer Carlotta de Bevilacqua (official)

Artemide North America – About Us / History

Wikipedia – Artemide (EN)

Wikipedia – Ernesto Gismondi (EN)

Wikipedia – Carlotta de Bevilacqua

Wikipedia – Tizio (lamp)

Dezeen – "Artemide founder Ernesto Gismondi dies at 89" (02/01/2021)

Domus – "Artemide's masterpieces: eight icons of light design"

Design Museum London – Memphis

Encyclopedia of Design – "Artemide Italian Lighting Company"

Lumens.com – "Artemide: Italian by Design"

Archpaper – "Ernesto Gismondi, founder of Artemide, passes away at 89"
Italian-language sources

Wikipedia – Artemide (azienda) (IT)

Artemide.com – Company / Identity (official, IT)

Artemide.com – Designer Giancarlo Mattioli (official)

ADI Design Museum – Artemide entry

Interni Magazine – "Scomparsa di Ernesto Gismondi"

Atmosfera Mag – "Tolomeo Artemide lamp: history, design, and function"

Atmosfera Mag – "The Tizio lamp by Richard Sapper for Artemide"

Finestre sull'Arte – "The Tolomeo Lamp by Michele De Lucchi"

Il Bello dell'Usato – "Lampada Nesso Artemide: Storia dell'Icona Pop del Design"

Memphis Milano – History (official)
French-language sources

Artemide.com – Company / Identity (official, FR)

Asteri.fr – "Artemide : Histoire et succès d'une icône du design italien"

Blog Nedgis – "Zoom sur un designer italien de renom : Ernesto Gismondi, créateur d'Artemide"

Decoration-interieur.art – "Artemide, fabricant de lampes et luminaires design Made In Italy"

Filière 3e – "Artemide: créer une lumière humaine et responsable" (17/06/2025)
Spanish-language sources

Artemide.com – Company / Identity (official, ES)

Artemide.com – History (official, ES)

The Best in Design – "Fallece Ernesto Gismondi, fundador y presidente de Artemide"

Ilutop – "Ernesto Gismondi – Fundador de Artemide en 1960"

The Light Report – "A closer look Artemide: en el corazón de la iluminación italiana"

Hilite Peru – "Artemide: una marca italiana"
Portuguese-language sources

EfectoLED – Artemide (PT)

Filigrana Interior Design – Artemide (PT)
Swedish-language sources

Nordiska Galleriet – Artemide belysning (SE)

Växjö Elektriska – "Artemide designlampor – Tolomeo, Tizio & Eclisse"

Länna Möbler – "Artemide – Ikonisk italiensk belysning för hem och offentlig miljö"

Lampkultur.se – Varumärke Artemide

NordicNest.se – Artemide
Danish-language sources

Juhls Bolighus – "Artemide Lamper – Ernesto Gismondi & Sergio Mazza"

Lampegiganten.dk – "Artemide – Nå ud til stjernerne"

Thorsen Møbler – Artemide designlamper

Lampemesteren.dk – "Artemide – Spændende italiensk lampe design"

Illums Bolighus – Artemide
Japanese-language sources

Artemide Japan – Company (official, JP)

Artemide Japan – Home page (official, JP)

Chikyu-no-Arukikata (地球の歩き方) – "ミラノ発、照明ブランドArtemide"

Yasuyuki Hayama Blog – "［ミラノ観光 vol 7.］ Artemide – イタリア照明ブランドの雄"

YAMAGIWA OnlineStore – Artemide (JP)

Miraph – Artemide brand catalogue (JP)

Designboom – "Issey Miyake presents his IN-EI lighting collection for Artemide"

Dezeen – "IN-EI by Issey Miyake for Artemide" (06/06/2012)
As of 01/07/2026: sources in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish and Japanese evaluated

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