Artemide, history of light

Artemide is known all around the world as the Greek goodness who protects the hunters and she is the symbol of the moon in different ancient religions. She was often represented with a silver bow, a quiver full of arrows and with a lot of dogs. This representation of the woman warrior soul as an undisputed model of integrity and independence gave to Ernesto Gismondi the spark to found Artemide, the lighting brand which today is became one of the most famous and important brand in the world of lighting décor.
Synonymous of quality, elegance and technology, the creations designed by Artemide are true icons of modern design and we can easily find them in prestigious museums of modern art and in prestigious design collections.
The creations of Artemide are showing inside the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnica in Milan and at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome. We can also find them at the MoMa of New York, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and at the Centre George Pompidou in Paris.

The lightings created by Artemide are icons in the world of design and they are point of reference around the world, the quality and the style of Artemide made it one of the most famous brands in the history of modern design.
When we buy a lamp of the brand we don’t just choose a light that lights up our nights but we buy a piece of design that can make every corner of your home the one of your dreams.
The attention at the details allows these lamps to be adaptable in every space, from the rooms of luxury hotels to the villas of famous singers and actors. Artemide also furnished a lot of multinational corporation headquarters and offices: the Microsoft House in Milan, the Lavazza Headquarter in New York, the iQ Offices in Canada and the Blonde Salad HQ in Milan.
Artemide designed timeless lamps and every year it creates new items able to add value at the light inside the room.

One of the most famous and iconic lamps are the Tolomeo family.
Tolomeo was designed in 1986 by Michele de Lucchi, he wanted to innovate the classic table lamp. The steel spring created by Naska Loris that stabilized the lamp and direct the light in the direction you wanted, are replaced by steel cables and couplings that maintain the lamp in tension. In 1989 thanks to this idea Artemide and de Lucchi won the Compasso d’oro ADI and in few months Tolomeo became one of the most wanted object as hi-tech furniture. Today Tolomeo is Artemide bestseller and after 30 years it became a category of lamp adapting to the new technologies. We can find the micro table version, available in different colors, the Mega version suspended or the reading floor lamp designed to relax reading a good book. (discover all the versions here).

Artemide lamps are always more technologic. This is one of the most incredible aspect of this brand and its founder, the capacity to innovate. The lamps are also “intelligent” and customizable. They use different kind of technologies: the possibility to regulate the warm of the light, the using of the app to turn on or turn off the light are just some examples. Today a lot of Artemide lights are provided with the APP: the new Come Together, the perfect lamp for every kind of situation; the Ilio lamp with a simple tubular shape; the traditional wall lamps are also provided with the APP: Mesmeri, Melampo and Talo.

We want to celebrate this brand and its founder who passed few days ago at the age of 89. He changed the world of design, he was an incredible entrepreneur and an authentic visionary, he was one of the main characters in the creation of Made in Italy all around the world. The only thing we can say is “Thank you.”