Angelo Ostuni and Renato Forti for O-Luce '201' Floor or Table Lamp in Red

Angelo Ostuni and Renato Forti for O-Luce, table and floor lamp, model ‘201’, enameled aluminum, enameled cast iron, enameled brass, brass, Italy, 1949

Designer duo Angelo Ostuni and Renato Forti served for O-Luce during the period spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s. Demonstrating the fundamental principles embraced by the design team, their early creation, model 201, embodies a fusion of uncomplicated elegance and technological advancement. Developed in 1949, this lamp features a telescopic extension that enables its utilization as a floor lamp or desk lamp. Ostuni’s first models created between 1946 and 1948 were made in a more traditional manner to suit the taste of the Milanese upper-middle class. Ostuni's shift in his design approach is clearly displayed in the features of this designed 201 model. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, this lamp is explicitly designed to offer a customizable light source that can be adjusted according to one’s own requirements. O-Luce continued its production throughout the 1960s. In 1950, Angelo Ostuni and his brother received international recognition for their exceptional lighting designs, mostly for the application of adjustable features in their designs which was highly innovative during that period.

Angelo Ostuni (1904-1981) was an Italian designer and the elder brother of Giuseppe Ostuni (1907-1994) who established the Italian lighting company O-Luce. Together, they collaborated on numerous of designs for O-Luce that became one of Italy's leading lighting design companies. Angelo Ostuni was born in Trieste, Italy in 1904, when the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Ten years later, the First World War began. In 1915 Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire and soon the Italian army bombed Trieste in May 1915. The Ostuni family endured some difficult times and eventually moved to Milan in 1919. Angelo enrolled into the Instituto Tecnico of Milan. From a young age, he showed a special talent for drawing. La Fiamma Verde, a monthly Italian student magazine, published a few of his drawing during the early 1920s. Later on, he would use his skills to make a great part of the lighting drawings for his brother's company. As a young adult he started working for his father's timber trading company and started to trade antiques on the side. Ostuni lived through the rise of Mussolini's fascist regime and the outbreak of the Second World War. Ninety percent of the Milanese population left the city during the war, but Angelo and his family stayed behind and founded the furniture company ‘Frangi’. In 1945, his brother Giuseppe moved in and together they started to design lighting and furniture. Even though Angelo didn't have a degree in architecture or art, with his natural talent he designed the most versatile interior projects and furniture designs.

VAT within the EU: When buying or delivering an item within the EU, VAT usually applies and will be added.