Ingo Maurer

Heritage

Ingo Maurer began designing exceptional lamps, lighting systems and objects in the mid-1960s. According to Wikipedia he returned to Germany from the United States in 1963 and founded Design M, a company developing and manufacturing lamps of his own design, later renamed Ingo Maurer GmbH. The company's address in Munich-Schwabing (Kaiserstrasse 47) has remained the same since 1970; in 2005 production and shipping moved to a new site on the outskirts of Munich, and the former production hall became a showroom, the second after New York.

Philosophy

The company describes its work as luminaires and lighting systems made "with heart, hand and brain" in Munich, combining artistic expression with functional elegance. Manual production by hand is an integral part of its philosophy: every product is made with attention to detail and craftsmanship, supported by long-standing suppliers, many from the Munich region. Alongside its regular collection, a project department creates light installations, exhibition designs and interior light planning.

Iconic Works

• Bulb (1969), included in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art
• YaYaHo (1984), the low-voltage wire system with adjustable halogen elements
• Lucellino (1989), the winged bulb
• Porca Miseria! (1994), a suspension lamp of porcelain shards
• Zettel'z (1997), the pendant of paper notes

Today

Ingo Maurer died in October 2019. His team of more than fifty people continues to design and produce the collection by hand in Munich, with showrooms in Munich and New York.