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Price category: 20,000+ usd / eur‎

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This lamp is one of those models that lighting design enthusiasts recognize immediately, a truly iconic design. Paavo Tynell designed this model “9060” in 1950-52 for the secretariat's room at the United Nations building in New York City.

Lighting designer Paavo Tynell, “the man who illuminated Finland,” was the founder and chief designer of Taito Oy - the first industrial producer of lighting fixtures in Finland. A master craftsman himself, Tynell’s elegant brass designs were derivative of a traditional aesthetic with a modern sensibility. This model is in many ways his most famous ceiling light design and not solely for its impressive story. The design has entirely unique elements such as the glass inside the reflector, the unusual circular finial, and the perforated shade to name a few. All of these features are in service of the unique distribution of the light, provided by four bulbs sitting above the glass inside the white lacquered reflector. The light shines in all directions thanks to the open, hanging brazier-like shade, the open bottom with brass circles, and the patterned, perforated brass. The result is bordering the realm of lighting art, with the brass dressed in golden light. The body is held by two brass rods connected to the rounded canopy. Despite its many distinctive elements, the design is united by its material, the beautiful polished brass, Tynell’s preferred material to work with.

Tynell’s international design influence grew thanks to the Finland House located in New York City and resulted in prestigious commissions both for public buildings such as the United Nations HQ but also for important private collections. Model “9060” is a historic testament of his design prowess and craftsmanship, remaining one of the most coveted lighting pieces to this day.

Condition:

In good vintage condition consistent with age and use. The brass has some weather marks and a beautiful patina.

Dimensions:

21.45 in ⌀ x 20.86 in H

54.5 cm ⌀ x 53 cm H

Literature:

Idman, sales catalogues, no. 135, 136, 140, 142, 1953-1959, n.p.
Finland House Lighting: Harmony in lighting for harmony in living, original designs by Paavo Tynell, sales catalogue, New York, p. 23.

About the designer:

Paavo Tynell (1890-1973) was an industrial designer, known as the great pioneer of Finnish lighting design and fondly dubbed as “the man who illuminated Finland”.

Tynell was one of the founders and chief designers of Taito Oy – the first industrial producer of lighting fixtures in Finland. With the innovation of electricity in the beginning of the 20th century, Taito Oy and Tynell expanded the thinking and manufacturing of modern lighting solutions in Europe and abroad. 

Paavo Tynell rose to prominence in the 1930s and 40s when he collaborated with some of the most renowned Finnish architects, Alvar Aalto being the most notable one. Working to incorporate artificial lighting into modern environments, Tynell’s company Taito Oy produced fixtures for all of Alvar Aalto’s major projects. Tynell was especially appraised through his involvement with the Finland House, a design atelier in New York that showcased the work of Finnish designers and craftspeople. His elegant brass designs became an instant success in North America, and he began creating lighting designs for the prestigious American company, Lightolier. 

Marked by delicacy and softness, his most famous forms in lightning echo the structures of nature; he adroitly created sculptural shapes reminiscent of the branches of trees, swirling snowflakes and seashells. ~H.