L'Amica Reading lamp by Martinelli Luce

Elio Martinelli was born in Lucca in 1921/2004. After attending industrial schools he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence as a set designer and contributed over the years with his creativity to the development of his father Plinio's work in the lighting sector. After a few years and various experiences in the field of scenography he began his professional activity in the studio located in the historical center of Lucca. His focus is initially on interior design and fittings for shops, restaurants, hotels and bars. The need to complete his projects pushes him to design and create lighting fixtures on his own. We are in the fifties, the production begins and the first catalog. In these years Elio Martinelli emphasizes his simple and rigorous inspiration, giving a strong impulse to the company that becomes a point of reference in Italian design in the field of lighting. Elio Martinelli is known both in Italy and abroad and begins to collaborate with well-known designers of the sector obtaining prizes and awards. Under his guidance the company participates in the first edition of Eurodomus in 1966, at the invitation of the architect Gio 'Ponti, it is present at the following editions of 1968, 1970 and 1972. It is also present at the XIV and XV Triennale in Milan in 1973 and all the following editions of the Milan Fair, Intel and now Euroluce. Elio Martinelli's inspiration has always been simplicity, geometry and nature seen in its many forms. A crescendo of intuitions using new materials such as methacrylate, experimented in various models right from the beginning of production and design. A search for new ideas, new technologies and production systems, also taking into account the continuous evolution of light sources. From these experiments are born so many lamps like the Leaf, the Bubbles, the Flex, the Snake, the Cobra, Clouds vagabond, the Biconica and funny creations such as the Swallows, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, and many others. It is worth mentioning the inclusion of some models of the Martinelli Luce collection in important museums and present in various publications and exhibited in sector exhibitions. In recent years, with the introduction of new light sources, Elio Martinelli has also oriented the design towards a more technical sector: the systems and lighting fixtures of large dimensions, of different types and also tailor-made for large environments and for new needs. Elio Martinelli is tireless, every day is in the company until his death in 2004, but even today after forty years, some lamps designed by him, such as the Cobra, the bubble, the hemisphere and many others continue to communicate also in the 'current context so different, that original design impulse. Emiliana Martinelli was born in Lucca, graduated from the Art Institute of Lucca - Ceramics Section and later in Industrial Design at the ISIA in Florence, a city where she graduated in Architecture. Immediately after graduation he joined the family business, founded in the '30s by his grandfather Plinio and later expanded by his father Elio, addressed in the' 50s to the design and production of lamps. With him, his greatest teacher, he began a long collaboration, developing together the issues and products that have distinguished the production of Martinelli Luce in all these years. Emiliana Martinelli is president of Martinelli Luce and within the company has always been a dual activity, that of entrepreneur and that of designer and art director also taking care of the graphics of communication and commercial material. He takes care of the stand fittings through which the company presents itself and takes part in the most important events in the sector, both in Italy and abroad. His sources of inspiration for design have always been nature, geometric shapes and shadows. Emiliana Martinelli as well as developing her projects, some of which have won international awards such as the IF PRODUCT DESIGN attributed to the Colibrì lamp in 2011 and 2013 and the Circular Pol XXL lamp in 2014, has collaborated with architects such as Gae Aulenti and continues to collaborate with important external designers like Sergio Asti, Marc Sadler, Studio Orlandini, Luisa Bocchietto, Serge and Robert Cornelissen, Michel Boucquillon. In recent years she has also succeeded in selecting very promising young designers, Brian Sironi, Marco De Santi, Studio 4P1B, so much so that their products developed by Martinelli Luce have won numerous awards such as IF PRODUCT DESIGN and IF PRODUCT DESIGN GOLD, the REDDOT DESIGN AWARD, the Selection at ADI DESIGN INDEX, the COMPASSO D'ORO.

The story of the Italian lighting design company Martinelli Luce began in the 50s and went on to make the company stand out in the international landscape for the ability of combining design and technology. The lamps and lighting solutions proposed by Martinelli Luce are designed for domestic and recreational spaces as well as for the office and hospitality and have been awarded some of the world’s most renowned prizes, such as the Compasso d'Oro.