Born on a small island in the Venetian lagoon and now globally renowned, Foscarini is a designer lamp company founded in Murano (Venice) in 1981. The brand's bond with its home territory is evident in its name paying homage to the patrician Venetian family. Foscarini first produced glass fixtures for the contract sector, which were soon joined by the decorative lamps that became the company's core business. In 1988, Carlo Urbinati and Alessandro Vecchiato took over the brand and began calling upon Italian and international designers. The first results were the Wassily on the wall applique, designed by Adam Tihany and Joseph Mancin in 1986 and the Lumiere table lamp, designed in 1990 by Rodolfo Dordoni. These products were followed by Orbital by Ferruccio Laviani and Havana by Joseph Forakis, a polyethene lamp that marked Foscarini's exploration of new materials and its move to Marcon on the mainland of the Veneto province. Foscarini's best-known lamps include Caboche by Patricia Urquiola and Eliana Gerotto; Twiggy and Tress by Marc Sadler; Gregg by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba; and Le Soleil by Vicente Garcia Jimenez. In more than thirty-five years of existence, Foscarini has received two Compasso d'Oro awards - in 2001 for the lamps Mite and Tite by Marc Sadler and in 2014 for the magazine "Inventario - Tutto è progetto". Today Foscarini has 2800 multi-brand shops in over eighty-eight countries and two flagship showrooms, Foscarini Spazio Soho in New York and Foscarini Spazio Monforte in Milan. In May 2022, Foscarini acquired 90 per cent of the German company Ingo Maurer GmbH.
Lumiere, the iconic lamp by Foscarini
Lumiere by Rodolfo Dordoni was Foscarini's first big success – a table lamp in which the lampsghade’s blown Murano glass meets the die-cast metal tripod. Its shape is inspired by those of the classic abat-jour, re-interpreted with great personality, now available in two sizes and a floor version. In 2020, for its 30th anniversary, the Milan Triennale dedicated the exhibition 'Anni Luce. Lumiere's journey through 25 years of history', curated by Michele Calzavara and Elisa Ossino. "In a moment of extreme uncertainty like today's, during another historical "rupture", Lumiere continues to stand the test of time, even in the most difficult moments, and to illuminate our homes," recalled Calzavara. "Lumiere's optimistic, forward-looking attitude has accompanied us over the last 30 years. The fixture will likely continue its journey over the next 30 with the same distinct presence. We will continue to tenaciously pursue our path in the design world."
Foscarini and the designers of light
The Foscarini collection consists of over sixty families of lamps, made of more than twenty materials and designed by over thirty designers. These include, in addition to Rodolfo Dordoni, Andrea Anastasio, creator of the Filo, Madre and Gioia lamps; Atelier Oï, responsible for Allegro and Allegretto; Defne Koz with Circus; Eugeni Quitllet, who designed Satellight; Ferruccio Laviani, designer of Dolmen, Orbital, Tuareg and Tobia; Giulio Iacchetti with Magneto; Ionna Vautrin with Couchin; Jean-Marie Massaud with Solar; Luca Nichetto, with Plass and Kurage; LucidiPevere with Aplomb and Arumi; Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, with Gem, Gregg, Rituals, Birdie and Soffio; Marc Sadler with Mite, Tress and Twiggy; Patricia Urquiola with Caboche; Tom Dixon with Lightweight; Werner Aisslinger with Behive. A team of critics flank the designers for Foscarini's publishing projects. 2010 saw the launch of "Inventario - Tutto è progetto", conceived and coordinated by Beppe Finessi and published by Corraini, followed in 2017 by the volume "Fare Luce" - a collection of articles addressing the topic of light in architecture, design, art and the humanities. The Maestrie project consists of a book, an installation and a series of short films.
