German designer Ingo Maurer (1932–2019) was known as a “poet of light” for how he artfully created table lamps and floor lamps that married form and function, from bulbs that soared on goose-feather wings to chandeliers that suspended bursts of shattered tableware like a slow-motion explosion.
One of Maurer's first lamps, a 1966 design that was merely called Bulb, nested a lightbulb inside a larger glass lightbulb shape, drawing on his connection to German art traditions of reductive forms as well as Pop art and the playful aesthetics of 1960s pop culture. The success of Bulb — its fans included American design icon Charles Eames — led to the founding of his own company to produce this provocative fixture as well as other fantastic lighting designs. Later, for Maurer’s bestselling Uchiwa lamps of the 1970s, the designer found inspiration in Japanese fans made of bamboo and lacquered rice paper.
Born on the island of Reichenau in Lake Constance in southern Germany, Maurer apprenticed at a newspaper before moving to the United States in 1960. In New York and California, Maurer initially worked as a graphic designer for IBM and elsewhere before returning to Germany with his then-wife, designer Dorothee Becker, in 1963. The experience that Maurer gained in typography and bold forms was regularly expressed in the lamps crafted by his company, which was called Design M before the name was changed to Ingo Maurer GmbH. The lighting manufacturer is still based in Munich.
Some of Maurer’s pieces were minimal, such as a ceramic table lamp in 1996 he called Broken Egg, which radiated light from a fissure in an oblong shape, while others were monumental, such as the designer’s last completed installation — a colossal chandelier composed of over 3,000 silver-plated leaves — in Munich’s Residenztheater. Maurer was always at the forefront of lighting innovations, exploring holograms, LEDs and OLEDs in his projects. Through his company, the venturesome Maurer also promoted inventive new designers, including Moritz Waldemeyer, whose My New Flame (2012) imagined a futuristic candle with LEDs.
Ingo Maurer GmbH continues to produce the late designer’s distinctive table lamps, chandeliers and other fixtures, including the imaginative Bulb that started it all.
Find vintage Ingo Maurer Uchiwa lamps and other lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
Mid-Century German ML 1 Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for M Design 1960s
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early design of the famous luminaire designer Ingo Maurer from the late 60s. An elegant and classic design. The base is made in white glass. The shade has a simple, classic shape...
Metal
Mid-Century German Hollywood Regency Style Bamboo Floor Lamp by Ingo Maurer, 60s
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early design by the well -known luminous designer Ingo Maurer from the end of the 1960s in the early 1970s. An elegant and classic design in an impressive size. The name is refle...
Metal
Mid-Century German ML 1 Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for M Design, 1960s
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early design of the famous lamp designer Ingo Maurer from the late 60s. Here in a special color and extremely good condition. An elegant and classic design. The base is made in w...
Metal
Mid-Century Ml1 Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for M-Design, Germany, 1960s
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early design by the well-known luminous designer Ingo Maurer from the late 1960s. An elegant and classic design. The ornamental foot is designed in white glass. The umbrella has ...
Metal
Mid-Century German Tiffany Glass Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer, 1960s
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early design by the well-known light designer Ingo Maurer from the late 1960s. An elegant and classic design. The foot is carried out in clear glass and richly ornamented. The um...
Metal
Ingo Maurer ML 1 Table Lamp, Glass & Metal, Mid-Century Modern
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Hamburg, DE
An early draft of the famous lighting designer Ingo Maurer in the late 60s An elegant and classic design The foot is made in clear glass The screen has a simple, classic shape It is ...
Metal
Ingo Maurer Bamboo Table Lamp, Chrome Metal, Mid-Century Modern, 1960
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Ludwigslust, DE
This chrome-plated metal table lamp is in very good condition with an attractive patina. Dating from the 1960s, its design is inspired by a bamboo stalk. Ingo Maurer is known for his...
Metal
ML3 Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for M-Design, Germany 1960's
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Santa Monica, CA
ML3 Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for M-Design with original cork lampshade. Black glass base and chrome mounts. Germany, 1960’s. Socket 2x E27. European Pl...
Chrome
Vintage Bamboo Table Lamp in Brass by Ingo Maurer for M Design, 1960s.
By Ingo Maurer
Located in Eindhoven, Noord Brabant
This Brass table lamp with bamboo base was designed by Ingo Maurer in Germany. Manufactured by M Design in the sixties. In good condition.
Brass
Mid-Century Table Lamp with Wood and Steel Stem, Denmark 1960s
Located in Utrecht, NL
During the mid-20th century, Danish designers mastered the art of balance between traditional craftsmanship and modernism. This period was guided by the belief that good design shoul...
Metal
1970S Faux Bamboo Table Lamp
Located in London, London
Table lamp Faux bamboo Cast aluminium Probably American 1970s/1980s Measurements don't include shade.
Aluminum
Steel Table Lamp by Jacques Moniquet, France, c. 1960
By jacques moniquet
Located in New York City, NY
Tall, sleek design. It looks as if the center lamp went through a hydraulic press or melting process. Industrial yet refined. This table lamp was recently rewired with a black twist...
Steel
