Pipistrello is a lamp that has become an icon for its ability to combine originality and innovation while remaining timeless, beyond the fashions of the moment. Designed in 1965 by Gae Aulenti for Martinelli Luce as part of a commission from Olivetti for the Paris showroom, the lamp was created using highly innovative moulding techniques for its time.
Since its inception, Pipistrello has been presented in classic colours—originally dark brown and white, later expanding to include black—and, more recently, in Pop yellow and bronze. It has also evolved in terms of size and technology. In addition to the classic telescopic version, the Minipipistrello was introduced in 2013 as a table lamp with a fixed height at half the size of the original. Further innovations followed, including the MiniPipistrello Cordless in 2017, a wireless and dimmable version, as well as Pipistrello MED, a telescopic lamp ideal for desks and workstations. In 2020, Pipistrello 4.0 was introduced, incorporating Tunable White LED technology to replicate the mutability of natural light.
To celebrate its sixtieth anniversary, Pipistrello is now presented in a new white matte finish. Essential and sophisticated, the white enhances the purity of its distinctive lines, renewing its timeless beauty. The matte surface captures and diffuses natural light with delicate lightness, creating ethereal and harmonious atmospheres. The opal white satin methacrylate diffuser, combined with the satin steel telescope and ring, further emphasise its new materiality. When switched off, this new edition of Pipistrello almost resembles a sculpture, as if it were a work modelled in plaster.
The first 200 pieces of each model—classic, medium, and mini—will be available at select retail outlets in a limited all-white edition. This exclusive version includes a white power cable, switch, and power supply, and is numbered with an engraving that reads "60 years," further embellished with a small Swarovski crystal. This precious edition celebrates the long history of innovation and design behind the iconic lamp and Martinelli Luce.
'To celebrate this important anniversary, we have chosen a non-colour, white matte, discreet, soft, enveloping, which evokes the atmosphere of a landscape covered by the silence of snow and induces serenity and reflection,' says Emiliana Martinelli, president of Martinelli Luce.
Pipistrello is available as a table or floor lamp with diffused light. It features a base and knob in white matt-painted metal, an opal white satin methacrylate diffuser, and a satin steel ring, telescope, and base.
More information:
Martinelli Luce
[email protected]
www.martinelliluce.it