Mario Bellini, Area 50 Table Lamp, Artemide 1974

The Area 50 da Tavolo 10/20/40 is part of a series of table, floor, wall and ceiling lamps designed by Mario Bellini in 1974 for Artemide. The name 10/20/40 refers to the three base heights the table lamps were made available in, all of which were composed out of an off-white textured porcelain. Bellini says he designed the lamps in relation to the immaterial nature of light, so rather than creating an object, Bellini wanted to reduce these lamps to a synthesis of gesture and effect. The gesture of twisting a translucent foil to direct and diffuse the light; and the effect of the impossible coincidence of the 50cm square foil and the five bulges that deform it. The result is an exceptionally beautiful and unique piece of lighting through the collaboration of one of Italy’s greatest architects and its most legendary producers, Artemide. The Area 50 is part of the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The lamp is in excellent condition and perfect working order. The lamp will be shipped with a new 4.5W 400 lumen LED (mirror top) light bulb and a 60W incandescent version (which produces a better light for this lamp). The lamp requires a frosted light bulb with a silver top, and although frosted versions of this kind of light bulb are either hard to find or no longer in production, some sellers can still be found who have old stocks of this bulb originally produced by philips.