Bagdad Portable lamp – Gubi

Mathieu Matégot

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Bagdad Portable lamp Gubi – Mathieu Matégot

Designed in 1954, the Bagdad lamp epitomized Mathieu Matégot's quintessential approach to lighting design: playful expression, iconic material and space-age aesthetics.

Now, 70 years later, GUBI has reimagined this iconic lamp in a new portable version that brings the Hungarian designer's quirky style and technical genius indoors and out.

Manufactured using Matégot's signature rigitulle technique, in which sheet metal is bent and perforated to create a lace-like effect, the Bagdad lamp is inspired by the lanterns of the Middle East, hence its name.

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Matégot has given this classic style a decidedly futuristic twist, shaping a rigitulle leaf into the shape of an icosahedron - a geometric form with 20 triangular sides - with an exaggerated pyramidal “tail”.

The Bagdad lamp resembles a cubist sculpture of a comet, linking it thematically to Matégot's Satellite lamp, another cosmically-inspired design produced by GUBI.

GUBI's new portable edition cuts the Bagdad lamp in half compared to the 1954 table lamp. The reduced size of the “tail” allows it to be used as a handle, making it easy to move the lamp in and out of the house, to any dark corner that might benefit from its atmospheric glow.

Each of the triangular sides of the Bagdad lamp is designed to act as a base and support the lamp's weight, so it can be positioned both vertically and at a variety of different angles, creating a new expression with each orientation.

The angles and apertures of the transparent metal shade enable the Bagdad portable lamp to project an attractive play of ambient light that creates visual interest in all indoor and outdoor spaces where it is placed, and produces an atmospheric shadow effect even when switched off.

Light source Integrated LED Autonomy 8h of light at full intensity
Dimensions 18 x 18 x H36 cm Materials Perforated steel, brass

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Mathieu Matégot

Mathieu Matégot (1910 - 2001) was one of the most renowned French designers of the 50s.

He studied at the Budapest School of Fine Arts. He then visited Italy and the United States, before settling in France. He began his career as a window dresser at Galeries Lafayette.

In 1933, he began designing furniture using rattan and metal. However, during the war, he decided to enlist but was taken prisoner. After the Liberation, he devoted himself to the creation of transparent metal objects and opened his own workshop in Paris, then in Casablanca.

In 1952, he exhibited his work at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs et d'Automne. He quickly achieved worldwide success. His avant-garde approach to shapes and materials had a particular influence on the world of design.