The Arco Lamp is a design icon that has stood the test of time. It was designed in 1962 by Achille Castiglioni and his brother Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, two of the most important designers of the 20th century.
The Castiglioni brothers were known for their innovative designs that combined practicality with a playful sense of humor. The Arco Lamp is a perfect example of this approach. The designers were inspired by the problem of how to provide overhead lighting without drilling holes in the ceiling. Their solution was a floor lamp that could provide the same kind of illumination as a ceiling light.
The Arco Lamp features a long, curved stainless steel arm that extends out from a heavy marble base. The base, made from a single piece of Carrara marble, provides the necessary counterweight to the long arm. The arm can be adjusted so that the lamp can reach anywhere in the room, providing direct overhead light.
The lamp's design was revolutionary at the time and it quickly became a symbol of the modernist design movement. It was one of the first examples of a product that was both a functional object and a piece of sculpture.
The Arco Lamp is still in production today and is considered a classic of modern design. It is included in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.