The Modern Art table lamp is a classic finish design, one of the most famous Yki Nummi's creations. The base is made of transparent acrylic, the shade of opal acrylic.
Yki Nummi (1925-1984) was a major figure in Scandinavian design from the 1950s to the 70's. This talented artist, gifted in many areas, studied physics and mathematics before studying decorative painting at the Institute of Applied Arts in Helsinki. This double degree has made him particularly sensitive to the relationship between matter and light.
His best known creations are the Modern Art table lamp (1955) and the Lokki pendant (1960). Since 1958, the Modern Art table lamp is featured in the permanent collections of the MoMA in New York.
High totale 420 mm Shade Ø285 mm Base Ø120 mm – Max 1 x E27
Modern art
Yki Nummi
Yki Nummi is considered one of the most outstanding Scandinavian designers who worked between the 1950s and 1970s. He worked as a lighting designer for the Finnish lighting factory Stockmann-Orno from 1950 to 1975 and designed hundreds of lights during this period. Nummi's best-known lights are the Modern Art table lamp and the Lokki pendant lamp, also known as the “flying saucer”. Nummi first studied mathematics and physics in college after World War II. Subsequently, he obtained a degree in decorative painting at the Institute of Applied Arts in Helsinki in 1950. Thanks to his training, Nummi had a solid theoretical basis, especially with regard to the relationship between light and the colour.
Nummi was a pioneer in his field, especially when it came to designing acrylic lamps. As a new material at the beginning of the 20th century, acrylic brought countless new possibilities to lamp design. In fact, Nummi used plastic without prejudice. According to him, the attractive characteristics of acrylic are its moldability, its homogeneous nature and better impact resistance than glass. In addition to designing lighting, Nummi was an expert in color matching and design. Between 1958 and 1975 Nummi worked at Schildt & Hallberg's paint factory in Tikkurila as head of the factory's design and planning department and participated in the R&D of the new paint mixing system which produced innovative color charts. Yki Nummi has participated in a large number of exhibitions and fairs. He received gold medals for his works at the 1954 and 1957 Milan Triennales. He summed up his vision by saying, “People don't buy lamps; they buy light.”