Oluce
Oluce – Italy's oldest active design company in lighting (founded 1945)
Founding and location
the oldest Italian design company still active today in the field of lighting manufacture. Ostuni was self-taught and, at around 40 years of age, moved from Trieste to Milan to build up his own
manufactory „O-Luce" there. The company name is composed of the name element „O(stuni)" and
the Italian word for light („luce"). The company's registered office remains in the Province of Milan to this day; the firm trades as Oluce S.r.l. As early as the first post-war years, Ostuni combined technical and industrial manufacture with aclear, geometrically shaped design language. In the build-up phase he worked closely with his brother Angelo Ostuni, who was responsible for many of the technical drawings.
Company philosophy and design approach
Early years and establishment (1945–1959)
section curated by Achille, Livio and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, presented a „Luminator" designed
by Franco Buzzi. Through the specialist journal Domus, the company immediately gained
international visibility. In 1954, the luminaire 255/387 – known as „Agnoli" and designed by Tito Agnoli – marked the end of the traditional lampshade era and the beginning of a new, pared-down formal language for floor lamps in the domestic sphere. At the second edition of the Compasso d'Oro in 1955, two of Agnoli's luminaires were nominated: the floor lamp model 363 and a special bookshelf model. In 1956, two further nominations followed: a table lamp made of polyvinyl louvres and the pendant lamp model 4461 with a double perspex diffuser. Alongside Agnoli, Ostuni collaborated during this period with designers including Forti, Arnaboldi, Monti and Minale.
The Joe Colombo era (1959–1971)
brothers Joe (Cesare) Colombo (1930–1971) and Gianni Colombo. The two were looking for a
manufacturer willing to realise their radical designs – and they found one in Ostuni. Only Joe
Colombo remained permanently active in product design; Gianni turned to the fine arts.
This alliance gave rise to the table lamp model 281 „Acrilica" (1962), a massive, curved perspex
arc in which the light of a fluorescent tube concealed in the metal base appears to travel along the transparent acrylic body. „Acrilica" – the only joint design by the Colombo brothers – won the gold medal at the XIII Triennale di Milano in 1964 and is today part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.In 1963, Marco Zanuso (1916–2001) designed the table lamp model 275 with a large whiteperspex shade on a lacquered metal base; it went into production in 1965. In 1964/1966, the Fresnel pressed glass known from shipbuilding inspired Joe Colombo to create the family of weatherproof outdoor luminaires „Fresnel", with base and shade in lacquered metal, joined by steel clamps. In 1965 the „Spider" family of luminaires followed (model 291): a single lighting element for a specially developed horizontal point light source, which, thanks to a melamine joint, could be used as a table, floor, wall or ceiling lamp. In 1967, „Spider" became the very first Oluce luminaire to win the Compasso d'Oro, and in 1972 it was presented at MoMA in New York in the pioneering exhibition „Italy: The New Domestic Landscape". It is held, among others, in the collections of the Triennale di Milano, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf and the Neue Sammlung in Munich. In 1967, Joe Colombo designed the „Coupé" model: a large, curved metal rod carrying a half-cylindrical, elegantly inclined shade. In 1968, „Coupé" was awarded the International Design Award of the American Institute of Interior Designers in Chicago, and today it forms part of the permanent collections of MoMA in New York and the Neue Sammlung in Munich. In 1970 – a year before Joe Colombo's early death – the „Lampada alogena" (model 626) came into being, going into production in 1972. It is regarded as the first halogen indoor luminaire on the market and, in honour of its author, has since simply been called „Colombo".
Transition to the Verderi family and the Magistretti era (from 1973)
Verderi family. The connection to Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) began through architecture – via the residential building completed in 1968 at Via Conservatorio 22 in Milan, contact was
established between Magistretti and Angelo Verderi. When Verderi became the owner of Oluce in
1973, Magistretti's integration into the company followed almost inevitably.
Magistretti served for many years as Art Director and chief designer of the brand. His models
designed for Oluce include Kuta, Lester, Nara, Idomeneo, Pascal, Dim, Sonora, Snow and, above
all, the table lamp „Atollo" (model 233/238), presented in 1977 and awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1979. „Atollo" – built up from the three basic geometric forms cylinder, cone and hemisphere –has become the archetype of the modern table lamp and is on display in the permanent collections of leading design and art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Expansion of authorship (1990s)
designer Hannes Wettstein (1958–2008) designed the model „Soirée"; the Neapolitan architect and artist Riccardo Dalisi (1931–2022) designed the models „Sister" and „Zefiro". Together with Marco Romanelli, the British designer Sebastian Bergne, Hans Peter Weidmann and the duo Laudani &Romanelli were added. In 1997, with „Estela", Oluce realised the first industrially produced object by the Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana. In 2000, collaboration began with the Italian architect Toni Cordero (1937–2001), who with the „Nuvola" series delivered his last projectfor Oluce.
From the 2000s to today – contemporary interpretation
According to the company's own presentation, further contemporary authors include Toshiyuki Kita, Gordon Guillaumier, Lutz Pankow, Sam Hecht, Jörg Boner, Angeletti Ruzza, Nicola Gallizia, Victor Vasilev and Christophe Pillet, as well as the Italian-Japanese duo Mist-o (with the sculptural luminaire „LAS") and the designers Mariana Pellegrino Soto and Francesca Borelli, who both trained at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Rome and whose designs were presented for the first time at Euroluce 2017. In 2015, Oluce additionally launched the „Bespoke Tailoring" programme: custom production and modular variants of existing models for the contract sector (hospitality, catering, corporate, retail, public areas). In 2026 – on the occasion of the company's 80th anniversary – the ADI Design Museum in Milan is devoting the exhibition „80 anni di luce a Milano" to the brand, in which the Compasso d'Oro winners „Spider" and „Atollo" as well as other iconic models are shown.
Compasso d'Oro awards
1967 – „Spider" (Joe Colombo)
1979 – „Atollo" (Vico Magistretti).
Selected designers at a glance
Giuseppe Ostuni (born 1907 in Trieste – founder and long-standing head of the company); Angelo
Ostuni (brother, responsible for many of the technical drawings); Franco Buzzi (author of the
Luminator at the IX Triennale 1951); Tito Agnoli (1931–2012, Italian architect and designer); Joe
Colombo (Cesare Colombo, 1930–1971) and Gianni Colombo (1937–1993); Marco Zanuso
(1916–2001); Vico Magistretti (1920–2006, Compasso d'Oro 1979 with „Atollo"); Hannes Wettstein
(1958–2008); Riccardo Dalisi (1931–2022); Marco Romanelli (with the studio Laudani &
Romanelli); Sebastian Bergne; Fernando and Humberto Campana (São Paulo, Brazil); Toni
Cordero (1937–2001); Ferdi Giardini; Francesco Rota; Harri Koskinen; Carlo Colombo; Toshiyuki
Kita; Gordon Guillaumier; Lutz Pankow; Sam Hecht; Jörg Boner; Angeletti Ruzza; Nicola Gallizia;
Victor Vasilev; Christophe Pillet; Nendo (Oki Sato); Mist-o (Italian-Japanese duo).
Iconic products and milestones
1945: Founding of Oluce by Giuseppe Ostuni in Milan.
1951: Participation in the IX Triennale di Milano with the Luminator by Franco Buzzi in the lighting
section curated by the Castiglioni brothers.
1954: The luminaire 255/387 („Agnoli") by Tito Agnoli marks the end of the classic lampshade era.
1955: Nominations for Tito Agnoli's floor lamp model 363 and a library model at the Compasso
d'Oro.
1956: Two further Compasso d'Oro nominations (table lamp made of polyvinyl louvres, pendant
lamp 4461).
1962: Market launch of the table lamp „Acrilica" (model 281) by Joe and Gianni Colombo.
1963/1965: Marco Zanuso designs the table lamp model 275 (production from 1965).
1964: Gold medal at the XIII Triennale di Milano for „Acrilica".
1964–1966: „Fresnel" family by Joe Colombo (weatherproof outdoor luminaires with Fresnel
pressed glass).
1965: „Spider" family of luminaires (model 291) by Joe Colombo.
1967: „Spider" receives the first Compasso d'Oro for Oluce; in the same year, Joe Colombo
designs the luminaire „Coupé".
1968: „Coupé" wins the International Design Award of the American Institute of Interior Designers
in Chicago.
1970: Design of the market's first halogen indoor luminaire (model 626, in production from 1972),
later known as „Colombo".
1972: „Spider" is shown at MoMA New York in the exhibition „Italy: The New Domestic
Landscape".
1973: Ownership passes from Giuseppe Ostuni to the Verderi family; Vico Magistretti becomes Art
Director and chief designer.
1977: Presentation of the table lamp „Atollo" (model 233/238) by Vico Magistretti.
1979: „Atollo" is awarded the Compasso d'Oro.
1990s: Entry of Hannes Wettstein, Riccardo Dalisi, Sebastian Bergne, Laudani & Romanelli, Hans
Peter Weidmann, and in 1997 the Campana brothers („Estela").
2000: Beginning of the collaboration with Toni Cordero („Nuvola" series).
From 2001: New generation of authors, including Tim Power, Harri Koskinen, Carlo Colombo, Ferdi
Giardini, Francesco Rota, Nendo/Oki Sato.
2015: Launch of the „Bespoke Tailoring" programme for the contract sector.
2017: Presentation of designs by Mariana Pellegrino Soto and Francesca Borelli at Euroluce in
Milan.
2026: Exhibition „80 anni di luce a Milano" at the ADI Design Museum in Milan for the brand's 80th
anniversary.
Product philosophy and current profile
As a family-run business based in the Province of Milan, Oluce combines one of the longest
production histories in the Italian lighting industry with a culture of authorship that remains active to this day. The catalogue ranges from classics of post-war modernism (Agnoli, Colombo, Zanuso, Magistretti) through the postmodern and international opening of the 1990s to contemporary designs of the 21st century. Models such as „Acrilica", „Spider", „Coupé", „Colombo 626" and „Atollo" are regarded as central icons of Italian industrial design and are represented in the permanent collections of leading museums (including MoMA New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Triennale di Milano, Neue Sammlung Munich and Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf). In addition to the catalogue, Oluce also markets tailor-made contract solutions for hospitality, catering, retail, corporate and public sectors through the „Bespoke Tailoring" programme (since 2015). Oluce Vintage luminaires by Oluce such as the legendary Atollo or models from the Spider series are occasionally available in the range of Max's Vintage Art.Every piece is a verified original from the Milanese manufactory.
Sources and references
German-language sources
· Prediger Lichtberater – Design Classic Part 15: Atollo by Oluce –
https://prediger.de/lichtjournal/atollo-oluce-tischleuchte-design-klassiker.html
· Prediger Lichtberater – On the 100th birthday of Vico Magistretti / creator of Atollo – https://prediger.d
e/lichtjournal/zum-100-geburtstag-von-vico-magistretti-jubilaeum-fuer-den-schoepfer-der-atollo.html
· Gärtner Internationale Möbel – Brand Oluce – https://www.gaertnermoebel.de/produkte/marken/oluce
· einrichten-design.de – Atollo table lamp (product page with historical details) –
https://www.einrichten-design.de/de/atollo-aluminium-schwarz-oluce/oluce-238.html
· kult-lampen.de – „Oluce celebrates 3 iconic luminaires by Vico Magistretti and Joe Colombo" –
https://www.kult-lampen.de/oluce-vico-magistretti-joe-colombo/
· Connox – Brand Oluce – https://www.connox.com/oluce.html
English-language sources
· Oluce – Story (official company history) – https://www.oluce.com/en/story/
· Oluce – Designer: Giuseppe Ostuni – https://www.oluce.com/en/designer/giuseppe-ostuni/
· Oluce – Designer: Vico Magistretti – https://www.oluce.com/en/designer/vico-magistretti/
· Oluce – Product page „Spider" (model 291) – https://www.oluce.com/en/product/spider-291/
· Oluce – Product page „Acrilica" (model 281) – https://www.oluce.com/en/product/acrilica-281/
· Oluce – Product page „Coupé" (model 2202) – https://www.oluce.com/en/product/coupe-2202/
· Oluce – Product page „Atollo" (model 235/236) – https://www.oluce.com/en/lampada/235/
· Oluce News – „Spider and Atollo: the new ADI Design Museum hosts Oluce's Compasso d'Oro
winners" – https://www.oluce.com/en/news-oluce-en/spider-and-atollo-the-new-adi-design-museum-hos
ts-oluces-compasso-doro-winners/
· MoMA – Joe Colombo, 281 Acrilica Table Lamp (1962) –
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/102017
· MoMA – Artist page: Joe Colombo – https://www.moma.org/artists/1196
· Designindex – Oluce, lighting systems manufacturer (1945) –
https://www.designindex.org/companies/design/oluce.html
· Designindex – Joe Colombo (1930–1971) – https://designindex.org/designers/design/joe-colombo.html
· Palainco – „Acrilica, the first golden medal for Joe Colombo" –
https://palainco.com/discover/item/oluce-joe-colombo-acrilica-table-lamp/
· Finestre sull'Arte – „Vico Magistretti's Atollo lamp: the difficulty of simplicity" – https://www.finestresulla
rte.info/en/works-and-artists/vico-magistretti-s-atollo-lamp-the-difficulty-of-simplicity
· Fondazione Vico Magistretti – Founders: Oluce (EN) –
https://www.vicomagistretti.it/en/about-us/founders/oluce
· Galerie Alexandre Guillemain – Giuseppe Ostuni, biography – https://www.alexandreguillemain.com/e
n/designers-modern-gallery-paris/item/giuseppe-ostuni-designer-biography.html
· Space Lighting – Designer Giuseppe Ostuni –
https://www.spacelighting.com/designer/giuseppe-ostuni/
· Architonic – Oluce products and collections – https://www.architonic.com/en/microsite/oluce/3100277
· Diffusione Luce – „Oluce: Italy's Oldest Design Lighting House" –
https://www.diffusioneshop.com/en/manufacturer/oluce
Italian-language sources
· Wikipedia – Oluce (IT) – https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oluce
· Fondazione Vico Magistretti – Fondatori: Oluce (IT) –
https://www.vicomagistretti.it/it/fondazione/fondatori/oluce
· Domus – „Acrilica, Atollo e oltre: gli 80 anni di Oluce…" (29/04/2026) –
https://www.domusweb.it/it/notizie/2026/04/29/oluce-80-anni-mostra-adi-milano.html
· LUCE – „80 anni di luce a Milano: le lampade iconiche di Oluce in mostra all'ADI Design Museum" – ht
tps://www.luceweb.eu/2026/04/22/80-anni-di-luce-a-milano-le-lampade-iconiche-di-oluce-in-mostra-alla
di-design-museum/
· Designindex.it – Oluce, produttore di sistemi di illuminazione (1945) –
https://designindex.it/aziende/design/oluce.html
· Archiproducts – Oluce: lampade da tavolo e da terra di design –
https://www.archiproducts.com/it/oluce
· Ilenia Carlesimo, „Una quarantenne moderna" (Repubblica.it, 29/04/2010, on the Lampada alogena /
Colombo 626) – https://design.repubblica.it/2010/04/29/lampada-alogena-una-quarantenne-moderna/
French-language sources
· IDEAT magazine – „Luminaires : Oluce, faiseuse d'icônes" –
https://ideat.fr/luminaires-oluce-faiseuse-dicones/
· C86 Design – „Oluce, luminaires italiens & design épuré" –
https://c86-design.fr/oluce-luminaires-italiens-et-design-epure/
· Galerie Alexandre Guillemain – Giuseppe Ostuni, designer et éditeur –
https://www.alexandreguillemain.com/designers/item/ostuni-giuseppe-designer.html
· Nedgis – Designer Giuseppe Ostuni – https://www.nedgis.com/en/designers/giuseppe-ostuni
· Meubles et Lumières – Ostuni Giuseppe (creator file) –
https://meublesetlumieres.com/fr/createurs/item/giuseppe-ostuni
· Mr Expert – Estimation et cote de Giuseppe Ostuni –
https://mr-expert.com/artistes/estimation-cote-expertise-giuseppe-ostuni/
· Archiproducts (FR) – Oluce : lampes de table et lampadaires design –
https://www.archiproducts.com/fr/oluce
Spanish-language sources
· Muebles Lluesma – Oluce, catálogo de lámparas de diseño italiano moderno –
https://www.muebleslluesma.com/2537-oluce
· Carla Key – „Historia de la lámpara Atollo de Vico Magistretti" –
https://carlakey.com/blog/230_historia-de-la-lampara-atollo-de-vico-magistretti.html
· Moises Showroom – Oluce, iluminación de diseño – https://www.moises-showroom.com/marca/oluce
· Naharro – Oluce, marca de iluminación de diseño original – https://www.naharro.com/marca/oluce/
· Compass Design Shop – Oluce – https://compassdesignshop.com/marcas/oluce/
Portuguese-language sources
· Casual Móveis (BR) – „Oluce, a mais antiga empresa italiana de design ativa no campo da
iluminação" – https://www.casualmoveis.com.br/blog/post/oluce-a-mais-antiga-empresa-italiana-de-desi
gn-ativa-no-campo-da-iluminacao-agora-na-casual
· Softlight (PT) – Brand Oluce – https://www.softlight.pt/oluce/
· Lumories (PT) – Oluce: Feito à medida – https://www.lumories.pt/c/marcas/oluce
· Shopdecor (PT) – „OLuce – Iconic Italian lighting projects and collaborations" –
https://shopdecor.com/pt/collections/oluce
· Paris Sete (BR/PT) – Oluce Design Iluminação Lighting – https://paris-sete.com/en/collections/oluce
Danish-language sources
· Nordiska Galleriet (DK) – „Oluce – Iconic Italian lighting since 1945" – https://www.no-ga.com/dk/oluce
· Brdr. Sørensen – Oluce Atollo bordlampe –
https://www.brdr-sorensen.com/catalog/product/view/id/105799/s/oluce-atollo-lampe-opal/
· Light-Point (DK) – „Oluce – Italian lighting design" – https://light-point.com/da/brands/oluce.html
· Naharro (DK) – Lampe Atollo Cristal Oluce –
https://www.naharro.com/da/tienda/iluminacion/lampara-atollo-cristal-oluce/
· Nordiska Galleriet (DK) – Vico Magistretti, lighting –
https://www.no-ga.com/dk/vico-magistretti/belysning
Swedish-language sources
· Nordiska Galleriet (SE) – „Oluce – Iconic Italian lighting since 1945" –
https://www.nordiskagalleriet.se/oluce
· Nordiska Galleriet (SE) – Oluce table lamps – https://www.nordiskagalleriet.se/oluce/bordslampor
· Asplund Store – Atollo table lamp (opal glass) –
https://www.asplundstore.se/products/atollo-bordslampa-opalglas
· Lampemesteren (SE) – „Atollo lamp from Oluce in several colours and sizes" –
https://www.lampemesteren.se/atollo/
Japanese-language sources
· METROCS – „■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■" (Atollo Glass Table Lamp) – https://metrocs.jp/item/2257/
· Izuya Recycle – Purchase example: Oluce / Vico Magistretti „Atollo" table lamp –
https://www.izuya-recycle.jp/post/74198
· Modernnest – „Oluce Lighting: Atollo & Joe Colombo Icons" (with Japanese market focus) –
https://modernnest.com/oluce
As of 01/07/2026: sources in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish and
Japanese evaluated.