Finnish designer, Carin Lisa Johansson-Pape, was among the most significant Finnish lighting designers in the second half of the 1900s. She designed furniture for Stockmann from 1937 and from 1942, she designed for the Stockmann owned lighting factory, Orno. Her attention eventually turned towards lighting, and she co-founded the Illuminating Engineering Society of Finland.

Johansson-Pape’s Model 2063 is her most distinctive floor lamp design, with a look that is unmatched to this day. The design has an essentially Nordic modern look, with a combination of interesting material choices and shapes. Immediately standing out is the brass shaft’s peculiar curve and the black, twisted leather band wrapped around it, all up to the lamp’s neck. The brass foot and neck frame the leather, creating clear proportions and visual interest. The modern look is balanced by the adjustable, pleated fabric shade that “hides” the plexiglass diffuser and switch on it. The shade’s pleats and decorative braided trimming are a nod to the long and celebrated history of Finnish arts and crafts, and these elements give this lamp a unique look. Combined with the dark leather and brass stem, the design offers a variety of points of visual interest.

Lisa Johansson-Pape collaborated with the Stockmann-owned lighting manufacturer, Orno from 1942, famously remarking, “it was quite by accident that I became a design light artist. By education, I am a furniture designer, but I had to make lamps during the war.” While Lisa Johansson-Pape was also active as a furniture designer, her lighting designs brought her world-wide fame. Her work was presented in New York’s World Fair of 1939 and the Milan Triennial IX, where she won an award in 1951.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Some minor scratches on the brass. The lamp has its original shade.

Dimensions:

12.2 in W x x22.83 in D x 55.9 in H

31 cm W x 58 cm D x 142 cm H

About the designer:

Lisa Johansson-Pape graduated as a furniture designer in 1927. Her career as a designer was long and wide-ranged. Johansson-Pape's furniture was very functional. After graduating in 1927 from the Central School of Arts and Crafts she went on to work for Kylmäkoski designing furniture. In 1933, she joined the Friends of Finnish Handicraft. She designed furniture for Stockmann in 1937 and in 1942 she designed for the Stockmann owned lighting factory Orno. The materials of the luminaires were enamelled metal, acrylic, and glass. The technical functionality and practicality of the luminaire was a priority in Johansson-Pape's design.

Her attention turned towards lighting, and she co-founded the Illuminating Engineering Society of Finland, and she became the artistic director of the Friends of Finnish Handicraft from 1951 to 1985. She designed the lumière and lighting solutions for several large spaces in Finland, such as hospitals, churches, and ships. Johansson-Pape served as the artistic director of ‘Friends of Finnish Handicrafts’. She was also known as a designer of textiles, rugs, and carpets. Johansson-Pape also created installations for 150 churches, including Eckerö Church, Helsinki Children’s Hospital, a rheumatic clinic, and for the ships Ilmatar, Aallotar, Finnpartner, Finnhansa and the icebreaker Karhu.

Lisa Johansson-Pape's works have represented Finland in numerous international exhibitions since the 1930s. At the Milan Triennial in 1951, her lamps received a silver medal and at the 1954 Triennial a gold medal. Johansson-Pape was awarded the ProFinlandia Medal in 1957. ~H.