Oluce was founded in 1945 by Giuseppe Ostuni, making it one of the oldest Italian lighting design companies still in operation.
Together with Arteluce and Azucena, Oluce shaped the Italian lighting landscape for many years. The companies became a meeting point for young designers who, between post-war reconstruction and the rise of mass production, led the public debate in design-minded Milan, Italy.
In 1951, Oluce took part successfully in the 9th Triennale, presenting a lamp by Franco Buzzi. Several new lamps followed in the years after, winning awards such as the Compasso d'Oro. In 1954, the 255/387 lamp (known as Agnoli) heralded the end of the lampshade in private homes too. Agnoli consisted of just a thin rod carrying a spotlight, which made it one of a kind.
At the end of the 1950s, Oluce took a clearly revolutionary direction. This development is closely linked to Giuseppe Ostuni's meeting with Joe and Gianni Colombo. Later, only Joe Colombo played a key role in Oluce's success, while Gianni Colombo turned to art. At the time, the two brothers were looking for a manufacturer that was able and willing to respond to their provocations.
The first result of the Oluce/Colombo collaboration was the Acrilica lamp, listed in the Oluce catalogue since 1962. It showed a possible meeting point between design and art, and demonstrated what the intelligent use of special materials could achieve. This and various other works made Joe Colombo one of the great designers of his time.
In the years that followed, Oluce released several lamps that went on to become classics, including the Spider group, which established the idea of the lamp family, and the Coupé lamp, which is part of collections such as that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, USA.
In 1972, a year after Joe Colombo's death, his halogen lamp went into production. From then on it was simply called Colombo and is regarded as the first halogen lamp for interiors to come onto the market.
After Colombo's death, a new chapter began for Oluce. This was partly because Giuseppe Ostuni handed the company over to the Verderio family. At the same time, Vico Magistretti became art director and Oluce's most important designer, a role he held for many years.
Magistretti is considered one of the great masters of Italian design. He left an unmistakable mark on Oluce and shaped the company with his distinctive style, which became known around the world. This period also saw the creation of the Atollo lamp, which became an icon and a model for lighting design worldwide.
Since 1995, Marco Romanelli has helped Oluce maintain and build its international reputation. The idea was and still is to highlight the individual styles of contemporary designers. Since then, Oluce has continually sought out innovative designers who reinterpret lighting in line with Oluce's philosophy and create new, interesting products.
