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German industrial designer Ingo Maurer (May 12, 1932 – October 21, 2019) left an indelible mark on the world of design, especially in the field of lamp design and light installations, earning him the nickname “poet of light.” He lived to be 87. year of his life, during which he greatly influenced the design of lighting fixtures.
Early years and identity formation
Born on the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance in Germany, Maurer’s journey into design began with an apprenticeship as a typesetter, after which he formally studied graphic design in Munich. In 1960 headed to the USA, where he worked in New York and San Francisco as a freelance graphic designer, including collaboration with IBM.
Design M and renaming to “Ingo Maurer GmbH”
Bulb/light11.eu
Return to Germany in 1963. marked the founding of the company Design M, dedicated to the development and production of lamps according to its own designs. The company later developed into “Ingo Maurer GmbH”. Of particular note is Maurer’s design Bulb (1969), which found its place in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1969. age.
YaYaHo system and international recognition
Yayaho Part A/light11.eu
In 1984 Maurer introduced a revolutionary system of low-voltage wires, YaYaHo, which included horizontally fixed metal cables and adjustable lighting elements with halogen bulbs. The design was an instant success and led to special YaYaHo installations in prestigious locations such as the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Ville Medici in Rome and the Institut Francais d’Architecture in Paris.
Exhibitions and innovations
In 1989, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jouy-en-Josas near Paris organized the exhibition ‘Ingo Maurer: Reflection of Light Chances’, which presented light objects and installations intended for non-series production. Furthermore, exhibitions such as those at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (1993) and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York (2007) have highlighted Maurer’s lasting impact on the world of design.
Maurer embraced LED technology, creating notable objects such as the Bellissima Brutta in 1996 and the EL.E.Dee table lamp in 2001. His experimentation extended to organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), resulting in unique objects and table lamps in limited editions from 2006 onwards.
Heritage and landmark designs
Birdie/WikiCommons
In addition to designing lamps for series production, Maurer contributed to public and private spaces with stunning light installations. His designs, including Lucellino (1989) and Porca Miseria! (1994), demonstrated his ability to combine innovation with artistic expression.
In 2011 Maurer, along with Allmann Sattler Wappner, was recognized for the redesign of the underground area of the Marienplatz U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany.
Lucellino/light11.eu
Salon and advocacy
Ingo Maurer GmbH had showrooms in Munich and New York, reflecting Maurer’s global influence. His death in a hospital in Munich on the 21st. October 2019 it marked the end of an era.
It is important to note that Maurer opposed the European Union’s ban on the use of incandescent light bulbs, predicting a “dramatic reduction in the quality of life” and a “boom for psychiatrists”. Unsuccessfully, he tried to declare light bulbs as a world cultural heritage.
Ingo Maurer’s enduring legacy continues to shine brightly, casting a lasting light on the world of design .
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