Harvey Guzzini, Bud or Flash Lamp

HARVEY GUZZINI (Italy, 1950s).
Floor lamp "Bud" or "Flash", 1960s.
Exhibits sligthly wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 175 x 48 cm.

Harvey Guzzini's iconic Flash floor lamp was made in two sizes and in numerous colors (the version presented here has a 48 cm diameter shade and comes in off-white). The smaller version has a 35 cm globe. It was also produced as a pendant lamp (Bud), floor lamp (Clan) and table lamp (the small Clan was only produced between 1968 and 1972). There is also a recessed version of Bud. It is a piece widely used in cinema, as it was part of the props of "De Collega" (1978), "Dark Shadows" (2012), "The Red Circle" (1970), "Offering To The Storm" (2020), "Scanners" (1981) or "Hellraiser" (2022), thus proving that it is a must of interior design that will not go out of fashion.

Harvey Guzzini is often mistakenly thought to be the name of a lighting designer from the 1960s and 1970s. In reality, the brand actually belongs to a lighting company founded by the six Guzzini brothers - Raimondo, Giovanni, Virgilio, Giuseppe, Adolfo and Giannunzio - inspired by the movie Harvey, starring James Stewart in 1950. To further complicate the story, it appears that the Guzzini company changed brands several times in the 20th century, going through Harvey Creazioni, Harvey Guzzini, Guzzini, iGuzzini and Illuminazione Guzzini. The initial production of enameled copper objects was complemented by decorative luminaires. Famous Harvey Guzzini designs include the Mushroom table lamp by Massoni and Luciano Buttura (1965), as well as the Arc floor lamp (1968), the Faro table lamp (1970) and the Toledo table lamp (1973). Studio 6G, a trainee design team, developed the collectible Clan table lamp (1968); and designers Ermanno Lampa and Sergio Brazzoli were responsible for the Nastro series (1970), the Orione pendant (1970), the Sirio table lamp (1970), the Alba floor lamp (1973), the Albanella table lamp (1973) and the Alf series (1976).Around 1976, Harvey Guzzini abandoned the production of copper-plated items to concentrate on lighting made almost exclusively from methacrylate plastic (acrylic). The company also ventured into furniture production, collaborating with the Yugoslavian furniture manufacturer Meblo, located in Nova Gorica, in present-day Slovenia.In 1967-68, the company exhibited at Domus: Formes Italiennes, at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, under the name Design House (DH), where it presented Gio Ponti's Media Lamp. In 1969, a point of sale was opened in downtown Milan under the name Harvey Guzzini-DH, placing the brand, literally and figuratively, among the best-known Italian design houses. In 1974, the company was once again renamed iGuzzini - adding "Illuminazione" in 1981 - and is still in existence today, based in Recanati, Italy. Harvey Guzzini lamps were also sold under the MEBLO brand. MEBLO is a Slovenian company (Yugoslavia).