ATEA - Erik Solé - Lamp - Zippo - Metal - Design

Éric Solé for ATEA – “Zippo” – Rare transformable double-intensity halogen desk lamp – French design of the 1980s

Refined and today uncommon halogen desk lamp model “Zippo,” designed by the French designer Éric Solé for ATEA, an authentic expression of the most experimental research conducted on the relationship between light, movement, and structure in European design of the Eighties.

Zippo did not originate as a simple desk lamp, but as a true technically transformable object: essential when retracted, strikingly elongated when extended, reaching a maximum height of about 89 cm.

The composition is extremely minimal, almost graphic, and hides a particularly sophisticated engineering. From the solid geometric base in black lacquered metal develops the mobile structure, characterized by the slim chromed telescopic rods and the rectangular light head.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the project is precisely the integration between the structure and the electrical function: the low-voltage system uses the metal elements of the structure to conduct power to the light source, avoiding the visual interference of cables along the moving arm. A remarkably elegant solution, in which engineering becomes an integral part of the object's aesthetics.

The telescopic rods allow you to modify the extension and position of the light source, continuously transforming the lamp’s silhouette. It is precisely this ability to shift from a compact volume to a highly elongated vertical presence that makes Zippo particularly interesting from a collectible standpoint.

The lamp also features the original double-intensity lighting system, which allows choosing between a softer, more atmospheric light and a brighter emission suitable for reading or task lighting. It is therefore not just a formal exercise: every element serves a precise function.

Éric Solé and the research on light

Born in Paris in 1960, Éric Solé developed from the early stages of his career a particular research into the transformation principles of the object, work lamps, and the possibilities offered by the structural characteristics of materials. A research that makes Zippo particularly representative of his design approach.

Solé would later collaborate with important international lighting companies, including Artemide, consolidating his position on the contemporary lighting design scene.

Zippo thus belongs to a particularly interesting phase of his research: an object in which minimalism, transformability, technology, and light are condensed into a structure of striking purity.

Exceptional conditions – completely original

The specimen offered is in excellent preservation and efficiency conditions, particularly appreciable considering the age and technical complexity of the object.

The lamp is entirely original and has been carefully checked and revised in every part, from the structure to the electrical and mechanical components, preserving its configuration and original characteristics intact.

Operation is impeccable: the telescopic rods slide correctly and hold the desired position, the light source is stable, and both light intensities are perfectly operable.

A new halogen bulb has also been installed, therefore the lamp is offered in perfect working order and ready for immediate use.

Dimensions: maximum height about 89 cm; width 8.5 cm.
Weight: about 1,690 g.
Designer: Éric Solé.
Manufacturer/Publisher: ATEA, France.
Model: Zippo.
Period: 1980s.
Type: low-voltage transformable halogen lamp.
Lighting: double intensity.
Materials: black lacquered metal and chromed metal components.
Conditions: excellent, completely original, revised and perfectly functioning.
Bulb: new halogen included.

A collectible object and interior design asset

Today Zippo has a presence that extends far beyond its original function as a task lamp. Its slim, rigorous silhouette gives it a very strong sculptural quality, especially when fully extended.

It is an ideal object for a refined contemporary interior, a loft, an architecture studio, a private library, or a director’s office, where it can be used as a contrasting element next to antique furnishings or inserted into a minimalist, brutalist, or postmodern environment.

Particularly effective also beside a substantial desk, a console, a reading chair, or within a selection of 20th-century European design.

The black geometry of the structure, interrupted only by the slim chromed elements, also allows the lamp to dialogue perfectly with marble, glass, steel, fine woods, and modernist furnishings.

A refined collectible piece, difficult to confuse with the ordinary 1980s lighting production: Zippo is first and foremost the result of a precise design idea, in which mechanics are hidden, electricity becomes part of the structure, and the lamp itself changes shape according to use.

The combination of Éric Solé’s design, ATEA production, ingenious telescopic construction, double light intensity, complete originality, and extraordinary operating conditions makes this specimen particularly interesting both for the lighting design collector and for anyone wishing to introduce a genuine, sophisticated, and decidedly out-of-the-ordinary object into an interior.

“The identification of the specimen is supported by comparison with documented Zippo model lamps designed by Éric Solé for ATEA, which feature the transformable structure, the double-intensity halogen lighting system, and construction characteristics. Comparable specimens are documented in the specialized design market; the Zippo model by Éric Solé is also present in Gazette Drouot sales archives.”

The particular construction complexity and the transforming system of the lamp, based on specific mechanical and electrical solutions, also make the model difficult to faithfully replicate. This element, while not replacing the presence of a signature or label, is consistent with direct comparison with documented specimens.

Photographs are an integral part of the description and accurately document the lamp’s state of conservation, construction details, and operation.

The lamp will be shipped with particular care in preparation. Ankerior is a specialist in packaging and moving artworks and valuable objects, with specific training at Palazzo Spinelli in Florence.

#parisapartment