Pipistrello is the 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 made with very innovative molding techniques for the time. Since then, the lamp has been presented in classic colors – from dark brown, the original color together with white, to black – and more recently in Pop yellow and bronze, also renewing itself in terms of size and technology.
In addition to the classic telescopic version, in 2013 Minipipistrello was added, a table lamp with a fixed height of half the size of the original; in 2017 MiniPipistrello Cordless, the wireless and dimmable version, and Pipistrello MED, telescopic and ideal for desks and workstations. Furthermore, in 2020 Pipistrello 4.0 was presented, which, thanks to Tunable White LED technology, is able to reproduce the mutability and changeability of natural light.
On the occasion of its sixtieth anniversary, the lamp is presented in a new white matt finish. Essential and sophisticated, white enhances the purity of Pipistrello’s distinctive lines, renewing its timeless beauty. The matte surface captures natural light, diffusing it with delicate lightness, creating ethereal and harmonious atmospheres. The opal white satin methacrylate diffuser, together with the satin steel telescope and ring, emphasize its new materiality. When turned off, this new Pipistrello almost looks like a sculpture, like a work modeled in plaster. The first 200 pieces of each model – classic, medium, and mini – will be available at a selection of retail outlets in a limited all white (including power cable, switch and power supply) numbered edition, embellished with the engraving “60 years” and a small Swarovski crystal. An exclusive and precious edition that celebrates the long history of innovation and design of the iconic lamp and Martinelli Luce.
“To celebrate this important anniversary, we have chosen a non-color, white matt, 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.
Table or floor lamp with diffused light and integrated LED
Base and knob in metal painted in white matt color.
Diffuser in opal white satin methacrylate. Ring, telescope, and base in satin steel.
Dimensions: Pipistrello – diameter 55cm, height 66-86cm; Pipistrello MED – diameter 40 cm, height 50-62 cm; Minipipistrello – diameter 27 cm, height 35 cm.
