Rare Tito Agnoli for O-Luce '260' Table Lamp in Perspex and Brass

Tito Agnoli for O-Luce, desk lamp and wall light, model ‘260’, Perspex, brass, Italy, circa 1958

This lighting design is a remarkable discovery, recently authenticated as an original work by Tito Agnoli for the esteemed Italian lighting company O-Luce. Its rarity is underscored by its absence from O-Luce di Giuseppe Ostuni: A Catalogue Raisonné, the definitive two-volume reference on O-Luce designs. Designed for both wall and table applications, the piece incorporates signature elements of Agnoli’s design language. Notable elements include the convex, faceted light diffuser, secured by cylindrical or pin-like fasteners at multiple points, as well as the refined combination of opal white Perspex and brass – materials frequently seen in his designs.

Visually, the lamp’s form is a bold departure from conventional lighting designs, featuring a distinctive, almost sculptural geometry. It consists of two large, circular diffusers that mirror each other, positioned in parallel to create a symmetrical, enclosed structure. The entire form is elevated by a pair of slender, angled legs, with one side anchored by a cylindrical brass crossbar at the front. Additionally, a loop is integrated into the design, allowing the lamp to be affixed to the wall. This interplay of balance, asymmetry, and precision-crafted materials makes the design both functional and sculptural.

Biography

Tito Agnoli (1931-2012), whose full name is Giovanni Battista Agnoli, is considered one of the most important Italian designers of modern lighting. Agnoli was born in 1931 in Lima, two years after his parents emigrated to Peru in 1929 due to the political situation in Italy where Mussolini's fascistic regime was on the rise. After WWII, Agnoli came to Milan in 1947 and started to take art lessons and enrolled into the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. The mid-century tendency in the art world, with surrealism and abstract expressionism thriving, didn't suit Agnoli's realism. A year later he began to study engineering and architecture at the Milan Polytechnic. During his career, Agnoli worked as an assistant for Gio Ponti and Carlo De Carli. From the fifties onwards, Tito Agnoli, who was still very young, created a series of ambitious creative design projects for O-Luce, Arflex, Poltrona Frau, Matteo Grassi, etc. He has been nominated for the Compasso d’Oro several times during his career. Nowadays, some of his designs are part of the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York.

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