Michele De Lucchi

Michele De Lucchi was born on 8 November 1951 in Ferrara, Italy. He graduated in architecture in Florence. He was a prominent figure in the radical and experimental design movements of the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Cavart (where he was a driving force), Studio Alchimia and Memphis.

Michele De Lucchi designed lamps and furniture for companies such as Alessi, Alias, Artemide, De Castelli, Hermès, Unifor and Vitra. For Artemide, he designed many lamps, including Castore (with Huub Ubbens), Dioscuri, Noto, the Led Net line, Megara, Logico (with Gerhard Reichert), Ipno, Fata, and of course the extensive Tolomeo range (designed with Giancarlo Fassina), which includes numerous variants such as wall, suspension and spotlight versions.

During his career, he received numerous awards for his designs. He is the founder of AMDL Circle, the centre of a like-minded group of designers, architects and explorers.

Michele De Lucchi also designed lighting for companies other than Artemide. For Memphis Milano, he created the iconic Oceanic table lamp in 1981, one of the most recognisable objects of the Memphis movement, characterised by its playful geometry and bold use of colour. Through his own company Produzione Privata, De Lucchi developed a more personal and experimental body of lighting work, including the large Lagrande pendant lamp and the poetic series Pensando ai poeti Sufi (2000), a collection of nine different table lamps produced in limited, numbered editions, each named after a historical Sufi poet.

Giancarlo Fassina

Giancarlo Fassina (1935–2019) was an Italian architect and lighting designer, born in Milan, Italy. He obtained a degree in Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, and later specialised in the design of lighting fixtures, with a strong focus on precision and the study of light and shadow.

In 1970, Fassina joined Artemide, where he designed a wide range of lighting products and collaborated with several key figures of Italian design. He is best known for the Tolomeo range (created together with Michele De Lucchi), which became an international icon and received the Compasso d’Oro in 1989.

For Artemide, Fassina designed (or co-designed) numerous lamps, including Aggregato (with Enzo Mari), Serapide and Tebe (with Ernesto Gismondi), as well as designs such as Dinarco (with Carlo Forcolini) and other models credited to him in Artemide catalogues and product lines.

Outside Artemide, Giancarlo Fassina also co-designed the playful Birzì table lamp for Luceplan (2004) together with Carlo Forcolini, a flexible silicone lamp intended to be shaped by the user.

Artemide Tolomeo Wall Lamp – Dimensions

Artemide

In 1960, near Milan, Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza laid the foundation of Artemide. Right from the start, the company combined technological research with a strong sense of Italian design. Their very first iconic lamp was the Alfa — hence the name — designed around 1959–1960. Emma Schweinberger, Gismondo’s wife, designed the Chi table lamp in 1962. From there, Artemide quickly began collaborating with leading designers. The mid-1960s saw the company make waves with Vico Magistretti’s Eclisse, awarded in 1967, as well as Enzo Mari ’s early contributions such as the Polluce floor lamp, designed together with Anna Fasolis in 1965. The Dalù table lamp (1966 – Vico Magistretti) and the Nesso (1965), designed by Giancarlo Mattioli & Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova, further established Artemid e’s reputation during this formative decade. Other notable designs from the late 1960s include the Lesbo table lamp, a 1967 design by Angelo Mangiarotti, Vico Magistretti’s Telegono (1968), the Pallade pendant by Studio Tetrarch, the Electra table lamp, designed by Giuliana Gramigna in 1968, all reflecting the experimental spirit of the era.

As the 1970s arrived, Artemide introduced what would become one of its most recognisable icons: the Tizio desk lamp, designed by Richard Sapper in 1972. Around the same period, Gae Aulenti designed the Pileino and Mezzopileo lamps, followed by Mezzoracolo in 1973. The famous Sintesi lamp series was designed by Ernesto Gismondi in 1975 and the Area 50 lamp series, a Mario Bellini design from 1975. The decade also saw the introduction of the Onfale lamp in 1978, designed by Luciano Vistosi, marking Artemide ’s growing interest in glass and sculptural forms.

The 1980s marked a phase of international expansion. By 1980, Artemide had established a presence in the United States and continued to attract prominent designers, including Ettore Sottsass. His Callimaco floor lamp and Pausania table lamp, both designed during the 1980s, became distinctive statements within Artemide’s catalogue. Other important designs from this decade include the Polifemo floor lamp by Carlo Forcolini (1983). In 1987, Artemide launched the Tolomeo, designed by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, which quickly became an icon of functional and timeless design.

During the 1990s, Artemide further expanded its scope by acquiring VeArt, bringing Murano glass expertise into the company. In 1996, Artemide introduced its “The Human Light ” philosophy, focusing on the relationship between light, people and their environment. By the late 1990s, Artemide Architectural was established, bridging product design and large-scale architectural lighting projects. From the 2000s onward, Artemide increasingly focused on LED innovation while reissuing its historic designs within the “Modern Classic ” collection.

In essence, Artemide represents a rich tapestry of Italian lighting history. Whether defined by the minimalist engineering of the Tizio, the organic curves of the Nesso, or the expressive presence of the Callimaco, Artemide has consistently blended design innovation with a deeply human approach to light. It is precisely this balance that makes these lamps — including the Pausania and many others — enduring icons of modern design.

Designers that collaborated with Artemide include, among others, Vico Magistretti, Emma Schweinberger, Gae Aulenti, Richard Sapper, Michele De Lucchi, Giancarlo Fassina, Ettore Sottsass, Enzo Mari, Gio Ponti, Sergio Mazza, Angelo Mangiarotti, Joe Colombo, Sergio Asti, Sergio Favre, Mario Marenco, Adelaide Bonati, Silvio Bonatti, Enrico De Munari, Carla Federspiel, Livio Castiglioni, Piero Castiglioni, Nanda Vigo, Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Mario Botta, Carlo Forcolini, Luciano Vistosi, Neri&Hu, Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Jean Nouvel, Karim Rashid, Neil Poulton, Studio Tetrarch, Zaha Hadid, Ron Arad, Herzog & de Meuron, Issey Miyake, Naoto Fukasawa, Aldo Rossi, Adrien Gardère, Stephen Philips, Carlo Colombo and Giulia Foscari.

Artemide Tolomeo Wall Lamp – Tolomeo Mega Terra

Translated promo text by this video: A collaborative project designed in 2011 by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, Tolomeo Mega Terra is a lamp with a rational aesthetic that combines different materials into a harmonious whole: a black polished aluminum base, a cantilevered black polished aluminum structure, a parchment paper or silk satin diffuser supported by a plastic material, and polished aluminum joints. Available in three sizes, the diffuser can be adjusted in any direction, for direct and adjustable lighting.

Artemide Tolomeo Wall Lamp – 2000 Publicity – Artemide Tolomeo Desk Lamp

Advertisement from 2000 for the red anodised Tolomeo desk lamp.