Company

Founded in 1960s, Artemide is one of the most known illumination brands in the world. Known for its "The Human Light" philosophy.

Ernesto Gismondi with R&D Team

Ernesto Gismondi - Founder

Carlotta de Bevilacqua - President & CEO

Artemide is one of the most known illumination brands in the world. Known for its "The Human Light" philosophy, Artemide boasts high skills in light design and innovation, with products originating from research and high-quality manufacturing.

The company filed lots of patents on inventions in time for the development of innovative technological, mechanical, and opto-electrical solutions (10 patents filed in 2016 alone). Artemide has contributed to the history of the international design with products like Eclisse (1967, from Vico Magistretti), Tolomeo (1989, from Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina), Pipe (2004, from Herzog & De Meuron) and the IN-EI Collection (2014, Issey Miyake), all showed at the Compasso D'oro Awards.

In 1994 Artemide received The "Compaso D'oro" career Award and European Design Prize In 1997 and "Leonardo italian Quality Prize" in 2012.

The Artemide Lamps are considered on an international level as Design Icons of contemporary design; they are exhibited in most museums of modern art and design collections.

Michele De Lucchi e la storica lampada Tolomeo.

Artemide has always collaborated with the most famous international designers and actively promotes workshops with design schools in order to find the best young talents. In its pursuit of innovation, Artemide partnered for research with outstanding Italian and international Universities.

Alphabet of Light - Bjarke Ingels

History

Founded in 1960 by Ernesto Gismondi, Artemide is based in Pregnana Milanese, Italy, and operates through 24 subsidiaries. Its distribution network includes 55 branded showrooms in the main cities around the world. Artemide products are distributed in 98 countries. With five manufacturing units in Italy, France, Hungary, and Canada, two glass-works, and one Research & Development centre supported by prototyping labs and groundbreaking tests, the Artemide Group currently has more than 640 employees, including 60 engaged in R&D, thus confirming the key role of innovation in the Group's success. At Artemide, technological research, partnerships with outstanding architects, as well as sociocultural investigation have been from the outset at the origin of innovative projects capable to illuminate the future with unabated power.

Today the Artemide collections convey a unique mix of values: the approach to human and responsible light goes hand in hand with design and material savoir faire, combining next-generation technology with ancient wisdoms, a perfect expression of sustainable design.

The origin

196070

1960 Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza found Artemide in Milan; the first lamp, Alfa, is designed by Sergio Mazza in 1959.

1965 The lamp Polluce is designed by Enzo Mari in cooperation with Anna Fasolis

1967 Compasso d'Oro Award for the lamp Eclisse, designed by Vico Magistretti.

1969 The collaboration with Gio Ponti gives life to Fato, still an iconic lamp.

197070

1970 Selene is created as an early example of stackable chair produced with plastics using the innovative compression moulding technology, part of experiments on furniture.

1972 Richard Sapper designs Tizio, the first lamp with a halogen light source, which becomes in time a symbol of Italian design in the world.

1972 The first manufacturing facility is opened in Pregnana Milanese, still the company headquarters.

1975 Sintesi is the first product designed by Ernesto Gismondi.

1976 After the success of Polluce, Enzo Mari designs Aggregato, also a best-selling item, with the technical support of Giancarlo Fassina.

198090

1980 Artemide opens its first subsidiary in the United States of America.

1982 The first collaboration with designer Ettore Sottsass gives life to Callimaco and, one year later, to Pausania.

1985 With Aton bar, the first Artemide system is created, giving life to the Litech division, a predecessor of Artemide Architectural.

1987 In cooperation with Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, Artemide launches Tolomeo, a lamp that becomes, in time, a symbol of made-in-Italy design, featured in homes and work places all around the world. Awarded with a Compasso d'Oro two years later.

199000

1991 Artemide acquires VeArt, an historical Venetian glassworks facility with which mouth-blown glass collections are launched, including Milano-Torino in 1991 and Milano-Venezia and Venexiana in 1993.

1995 Artemide receives the prestigious "Compasso d'Oro Award for lifetime achievement".

1995 A patented technological innovation gives life to a collection introducing the use of coloured light, as well as a different relation with light management, offering the opportunity to select scenarios that underline our life and emotions.

1996 Light Fields, a publication deriving from workshops on light perception and culture.

1996 The Human Light is the new manifesto expressing the vision of Artemide: light at the service of man and of his needs.

1997 The Artemide Architectural division is created.

200010

2000 The new Modern Classic collection brings together the iconic products of Artemide.

2000 The first two LED lamps Sui and Kaio, are introduced, designed, respectively, by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Ernesto Gismondi. It is the beginning of the "Led Revolution".

2004 Compasso d'Oro Award for the lamp Pipe, designed by Herzog & De Meuron.

2004 A collection for total environmental quality through Air, Light, Sound, and Other.

2006 Artemide opens a new frontier in lighting: the My White Light line is introduced, based on years-long research and on the latest developments of the TunableWhite technology.

201020

2012 The IN-EI collection is created in cooperation with Japanese fashion designer Issey Myiake. Two years later it receives the Compasso d'Oro, the most prestigious design award.

2014 The Modern Classic collection is updated to include new icons.

2014 This cultural review focusing on the issues, including outside the lighting world, that Artemide investigates in its process of innovation, research, and cooperation with outstanding international architects and designers, becomes a regular publication.

2014 The historical brand "Danese Milano" becomes part of the Artemide collection.

2015 Opens the new Innovation Center with advanced testing laboratories accredited by certification authorities according the international regulatory standards.

2016 Artemide begins its research on LI-FI: light is used for data transmission. A data management infrastructure can be created with the same LEDs that are normally fitted in the Artemide products.

2016 An IoT dialogue between lighting appliances, sensors, and control systems ensures that natural and environmental phenomena may interact with artificial light according to measured parameters to create advanced and perceptively controlled lightscapes.

2017 Artemide App is presented, an intuitive management system capable of dialoguing with all the products in the Artemide collection to make everyone aware of their lighting scenarios. It is an advanced design tool that integrates intelligence to offer services beyond light.

2018 Compasso d'Oro Career Award for Ernesto Gismondi. Aerospace engineer, university professor and entrepreneur, in short: a man of many talents. The founder of Artemide.

2018 Compasso d'Oro Award for the lamp Discovery Suspension, designed by Ernesto Gismondi.

2019 Publication of Artemide Group's first Sustainability Report.

2019 Artemide subscribes the United Nations Global Compact once again committing to the adoption and implementation of sustainable and socially responsible policies.

United Nations Global Compact 2019 image

2019 GenerAction, Artemide is committed to communicating and supporting the projects of young people from Generation Z around the world who have distinguished themselves for their innovative ideas in support of humanity and the future of the planet.

2020now

2020 Artemide presents INTEGRALIS^®, a patented light technology that combines sanitizing effectiveness with lighting performance and beautiful design.

2021 The new Artemide Exhibition Centre opens at the Headquarters in Pregnana Milanese. Designed by MC A - Mario Cucinella Architects, it is a permanent but constantly evolving exhibition space to showcase light in all its forms.