This stunning Art Deco torchiere was realized by the legendary Walter Von Nessen in the United States circa 1940. Executed in polished aluminum (the material for which Von Nessen is most renowned) the torchiere offers a volumetric circular base from which a cylindrical body ascends culminating in a cupped concave aluminum shade with a frosted glass insert gently diffusing the light from within throughout any interior setting. The neck is sheathed in palma shades- an ode to High Style Art Deco- with arched forms and channeled incised surfaces, crowned with a glass disc secured by orbital aluminum rivets. With its clean modernist lines and forward looking aesthetic, this piece is as versatile as it is aesthetically compelling, blending with any style of interior from classic Deco to contemporary. It has been newly rewired to American standards and is in excellent vintage condition.

Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling avante garde, modern architectural lighting.

Along with visionaries of the period like Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen created a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions.

American, circa 1940

Dimensions:

Height: 68.5 in (173.99 cm) x Diameter: 19 in (48.26 cm)

Style: Art Deco (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques: Aluminum, Glass

Place of Origin: United States

Period: 1940-1949

Date of Manufacture: circa 1940

Condition: Excellent, Rewired.

Reference Number: LU793431348422