Designer: Rolf Krüger
Designer: Rolf Krüger
Rolf Krüger is a graduate designer. From 1959 until 1960 he studied free and applied art at the Heinrich Zernack School in Berlin. In the period 1960-1964 Krüger went to the Meisterschule für das Kunsthandwerk (master school for the arts and crafts), the Staatliche Werkkunstschule, today named UdK, were he studied graphic and product design.
From 1965 until 1982 he was executive officer in the product and fair design in the field of home lighting.
Since 1983 Rolf Krüger is a freelancer in product design in glass, metal, plastic, concrete and large-scale murals.
Rolf Krüger was awarded numerous times:
Design awards 1967-1993
The Gute Industrieform Hannover
LGA Center Form Stuttgart
1st Rosenthal Studio Prize
If- Design Award Hannover
Federal Award Good Form
Museum of Modern Art
Design Innovations NRW, Design Center
“Designed in Germany”: Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Boston
Design Plus, Frankfurt Trade Fair Ambiente
ARD / WDR report: Rolf Krüger glass design
Projects
1994 Surface Form Product: Sauerland Museum
1995 Painting and glass design: Rathaus Arnsberg
2004 pictures: Sculpture barn Varel
2005 Co-founder of the Arnsberg Design Forum
2008 Art Summer Arnsberg: Fantastic benches, 1st prize
2013 Ede Sörensen Foundation, Husum: Benches from drainpipes
Product selection by museums
2016 Landesmuseum Schleswig-Holstein, Schloss Gottorf Schleswig
2017 Museum Kunstpalast Dusseldorf
2018 New Collection, Design Museum Munich
2018 Kunstgewerbemuseum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Rolf Krüger at work in the Staff Studio in 1966
Wall lamps – flush mounts – ceiling lamps
The Kreuzaustern (Cross Oyster) wall lamp. Probably the most famous lamp Rolf Krüger designed for Staff. The Kreuzaustern wall lamp received the iF Design Award 1968, the Rosenthal-Studio-Preis 1968 and the LGA-Zentrum Form in 1968. You can find it over here on Vintageinfo.
Staff also produced the Kreuzaustern lamps for other companies. The lamp appears in the Danish Lyfa catalogue in 1972 and has the name Hannover.
The Kreuzaustern (Cross Oyster) wall lamp. “First prize for a designer from Lemgo, Germany“. Lippische Rundschau newspaper 1968.
The Kreuzaustern (Cross Oyster) wall lamps at the Geneva, Switzerland Motor Show in 1972 at the exhibition stand of Mercedes. Below flush mounts in the castle of queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1970.
Wall lamp or flush mount
This wall lamp or flush mount received an iF Design Award in 1968.
Character, numbers and signs wall lamp
Chrome tube flush mount
These tubular lamps were awarded in 1967, but the table lamp with a cap received an iF Design Award in 1968.
Designer: Rolf Krüger
Table Lamps
This table lamp received an iF Design Award in 1968.
This table lamp was awarded with the LGA Zentrum Form of the Landesgewerbeamt (State Trade Office) Baden-Württemberg in 1968. It also received an iF Design Award in 1968. It exists as a small and big garden lamp, a wall lamp and a flush mount.
Mushroom table lamp
Spotlight table lamps
Pendant lamps
These elegant and colourful pendant lamps received an iF Design Award in 1969.
Also these pendant lamps received an iF Design Award in 1969. You can find them over here.
Globe pendant lamps
Garden pole lamp
Staff
Staff Leuchten – Staff & Schwarz Leuchtenwerk (lighting plant) – was established by Alfred Staff and Otto Schwarz in Lemgo, (West) Germany in 1945.
Their business started as a shop for consumer goods in wood and metal as well as pesticide for controlling the Colorado potato beetle, a huge problem at that time.
Within a year they the company expanded with 15 employees and they produced the first wrought iron luminaires. Over the next three decades, Staff was to develop into a world leader in design excellence, receiving over 200 awards for their achievements.
Staff also collaborated with the Italian company Stilnovo. They published a joint catalogue in the 1970s. The Dutch Raak and the Danish Lyfa sold several lamps in the 60s and 70s. Several other companies did.
In 1994 Zumtobel bought the company.
Links (external links open in a new window)
60 Years of Light from Lemgo – Zumtobel plant celebrates historic milestones
Vintageinfo, lamps designed by Rolf Krüger
Heinz Neuhaus lamps designed by Rolf Krüger
BPS Leuchten-Systeme lamps designed by Rolf Krüger
Wiesenthalhütte, Goebel and Paul Neuhaus lamps designed by Rolf Krüger
Many thanks to Rolf Krüger for the enlightening information, photos and help.