Pipistrello White Matt / Martinelli Luce

Designed in 1965 by Gae Aulenti for Martinelli Luce as part of a commission for Olivetti’s Paris showroom, Pipistrello lamp celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Having become one of the world’s best-known design icons, the lamp is still extremely modern and, just as in the year of its conception, a symbol of the ability to combine originality and innovation.

Maintaining the unmistakable shapes of the base and of the methacrylate diffuser unchanged, the lamp has been presented over the years in its classic colors – dark brown, white and black – and, more recently, in new hues, including a garish Pop yellow and bronze, also renewing itself in terms of size and technology.

The classic telescopic version was joined in 2013 by Minipipistrello, a fixed-height table lamp half the size of the original; in 2017 by MiniPipistrello Cordless, the wireless and dimmable version; and by Pipistrello MED, telescopic and ideally sized for desks and workstations.

This year, to celebrate the important milestone of its sixtieth anniversary, Martinelli Luce has chosen for Pipistrello the elegance of a new white matt finish. Essential and sophisticated, white enhances the purity of the lines, renewing its timeless beauty. The matte surface also captures natural light, creating ethereal, relaxing and harmonious atmospheres. The satin-finished white opal methacrylate diffuser, together with the satin-finished steel telescope and ring emphasize its new materiality. The f irst 200 pieces of the three versions – classic, medium and mini – will be available in a numbered limited edition, embellished with the engraving 60 years and a Swarovski crystal set on the base.