Luciano Baldessari: The Luminator
Stories
14.12.2022
Luciano Baldessari (1896–1982) was one of the leading creatives of the 20th century, making significant contributions to the growth of Italian art, architecture, and set design. His career began in the early 1900s as an artist and participant in the Futurist movement, along with his peers, including multi-disciplinary artist Fortunato Depero.
He then studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic and was ultimately responsible for designing several influential buildings and artworks throughout his career. Some of Baldessari’s best-known works include the ultimate futurist lamp, the 'Luminator', and the Breda pavilions at the Milan International Fair.
The Luminator floor lamp by Luciano Baldessari.
Luciano Baldessari. Image: Luciano Baldessari Archive held at Mart Rovereto.
The Connection with Rovereto
Luciano Baldessari grew up in Rovereto, Italy, and was involved in the local arts scene along with other notable figures, including Fortunato Depero and Fausto Melotti. Rovereto had difficulties in the 19th century since it was part of the county of Tyrol in Austria and lost its autonomy. Baldessari went to the Rovereto orphanage, where Depero had taught him to sketch. This encounter, along with his early studies at the Austrian government-sponsored school of applied arts Scuola Reale Elisabettiana, heavily influenced his work. Baldessari joined Depero’s futuristic circle in 1913, which presented the promise of a new Italian aesthetic that drew on the progress of technology, dynamism, speed, energy, and change.
The Luminator
Luciano Baldessari then enrolled in architecture studies at the Milan Polytechnic University. After completing his schooling in 1922, Baldessari moved to Berlin and worked as a stage designer until 1926. During this period, he met some of the greatest artists of the time: Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Oscar Kokoschka.
It was also around this time that he designed the 'Luminator'- a light that debuted as a prototype during the 1929 International Expo in Barcelona. Among the components are a cylinder composed of chrome-plated extruded aluminium, an inverted cone, and white, red, or black revolving arms set on ball bearings. The Luminator's dynamic and sculptural form reflects a graceful movement, almost suggestive of a ballerina. Baldessari is said to have taken his inspiration from the Futurism movement and the sedimentation of Bauhaus culture, which he studied in Berlin for three years. Admired as an example of a Futurist sculpture, the Luminator is still considered a vital emblem of lighting.
"His [Baldessari's] distinctive style set him apart from the mainstream of Italian creatives working in Milan..."
Breda Pavilion was designed by Luciano Baldessari for the Milan Trade Fair in 1952.
The Breda Pavilion
After serving in World War II, Luciano Baldessari returned to his architecture career by creating the Breda Pavilion. The structure was designed in 1952 for the Milan International Fair to exhibit industrial items. The goal was to create an expressive sculpture and new scenography to promote Breda's mechanical technology. As the designer, Baldessari was undoubtedly inspired by the near vicinity of Fortunato Depero and immersed in the ideas of other key figures in the Futurist artistic movement, including Balla and Boccioni.
Baldessari’s design was an 18-metre construction in the shape of a massive helix. The use of white and red kept the design simple while emphasising the curvature. By rejecting standard, angular orthogonal geometry in favour of more fluid shapes, Baldessari created a design that is functional and imaginative at the same time. He built a 'promenade métallurgique', which consists of a reinforced concrete ramp that ascends to the top of the sculpture before curving around to display the firm's name (‘Breda’). This feature also acted to delineate the exhibition space.
The sculpture’s construction resembled an abstract ribbon shape, floating above the walkway, tied to the ground in just two places, with the free span being more than 30 metres in length. A coated steel framework made of plastered metal mesh supported the ribbon. Baldessari showcased his unique thinking in the form’s fluidity and looseness, giving it a sense of lightness and harmony.
Bartningallee 5 building designed by Luciano Baldessari.
Other Achievements
One of Luciano Baldessari's most memorable contributions to the Milanese cultural and social scene was in his role on the executive committee of the IX Trienniale of Milan in 1951. Baldessari designed the entrance hall, which displayed Argentine-Italian artist Lucio Fontana’s 'Cirro Luminoso' artwork (now held in the collection at Milan's Museo del Novecento).
Baldessari is considered one of the most de-provincialised architects to have worked in Italy during the first half of the 20th century. His distinctive style distinguished him from the mainstream of Italian creatives working in Milan and a dedication to independent research has kept him at the forefront of architectural and design innovation.
The Luminator floor lamp designed by Luciano Baldessari is available at Mobilia.