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Studio Lamp from Karel Appel's Atelier by Unifot Montreuil, France, 1960's

Creator: Karel Appel
Offered by: Zeger van Olden

Description
Studio Lamp from Karel Appels atelier by Unifot Montreuil in steel, metal and bakelite with a cast iron foot on wheels.

This lamp comes straight out of the atelier of Karel Appel, the dutch painter. The stains of paint including his fingerprint are still on there. We did not clean it of course. There are some pictures of Karel Appel and the lamp and as far as we know this is the only large studiolamp he used. It comes from the atelier on the Lutmastraat in Amsterdam that was bought by a friend of mine, also a painter, who bought the atelier after Karel Appel passed away.

The lamp is quite big and in perfect working order. All the wiring has been inspected carefully and the lamp is good to go.

There are two large shades on steel poles that can be adjusted by smart bakelite and steel constructions that are attached to the main pole. All in perfect condition. The shades it self are half rounded and have thin plexiglass in the front of them to diffuse the light and that can be removed if you want. You can adjust the position of the shades in any direction that you want, making it a very large item to fill the room and create a nice industrial atmosphere. You can also keep it low and small because everything that is attached to the pole is movable, including the electricity connection. All the old plugs are still there and in working order. The standing pole is falling into place in a cast iron heavy 4 star foot on wheels and is held in place by a large screw to fixate it. The wheels are still rolling and are not blocked so you can role it everywhere you want. There are numerous paint spots on the lamp because as you can see on the pictures, Karel Appel was not afraid to use a lot of paint and was a bit messy when it comes to spilling it: look at his apron. His hands and brushes must have been full of paint and no wonder that the lamp shows traces. You can even see the colours that he used in his painting back on the lamp. For example, the blood-red that you see in the painting where he stand next to, can be found back on one of the side arm poles. But you can see many more of it if you do your best.

Altogether a great lamp that still serves its function and has a very interesting and firm provenance. Amazing item for Karel Appel collectors who want to give their collection some more depth and a personal touch. On request we can restore the pole, that is bit oxidised, into former condition, but just to be sure we did not do anything yet from a restoration point of view, except checking if all the wiring was still good, which it is.

Do you recognise the famous football player who Karel Appel is standing next to?

(In all the pictures with Karel Appel you can see the lamp, sometimes a bit hidden...).

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	France
Period:	1950-1979
Materials:	Bakelite, Metal, Steel.
Condition:	Good. Wear consistent with age and use.
Creation Date:	1960's
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Mid Century
Incollect Reference #:	657254