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Classic modern examines the spectacular art light legacy of now-defunct Danish lighting manufacturer Lyfa

Based in Ballerup in the greater Copenhagen area, Danish lighting company Lyfa began life during the early years of the 20th century as Københavns Lampe Og Lysekronefabrik.

In the 1930s the company became known as Lyfa, and its main output during that decade was a range of table lamps closely modelled on Poul Henningsen's revolutionary multi-shade lamp of 1924 for Louis Poulsen, which later became known as the PH lamp.

By the 1950s Lyfa had become a significant innovator in its own right, employing and commissioning many prominent architects and designers to produce high-quality and original lighting which took advantage of new technologies and materials.

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s Lyfa's designs were regularly featured in publications like The Studio magazine and won many prizes.

During the 1970s Lyfa merged with another radical Danish lighting company, Fog & Mørup, but although they now shared factory premises at Ballerup the two distinct brands were maintained during this period. Both companies were, however, later incorporated into Horn Belysning A/S of Aalstrup, at which point the Lyfa and Fog & Mørup brands appear to have been abandoned.

During its heyday between the 50s and the 70s, architects and designers employed or commissioned by Lyfa included Piet Hein, Finn Juhl, Claus Bonderup, Bent Karlby, Louis Weisdorf, Acton Bjørn, Simon Henningsen (the son of PH), Michael Andersen, Klaus Helweg-Larsen, and Nils and Eva Koppel.

The lights produced at Lyfa during these decades are all of exceptionally high quality. Many of them have sculptural forms. Sometimes these forms were created through an intricate weaving of (always strong and substantial) metal strips, such as the Facet Pop light designed by Louis Weisdorf, pictured below left.

In other cases they were based on the juxtapositioning of parallel metal plates, placed at precise distances apart and each painted on back and front faces to create specific colour effects such as the impression of a spectrum. These lighting effects change as the amount of ambient light is increased or decreased, so the lights are artworks as well as functional lamps (see Bent Karlby's Kvadrille, above left, and the Påfugl or Peacock light, top left).

Multi-coloured surfaces were in themselves a common theme at Lyfa, as can also be seen in Simon Henningsen's Divan 2 light (above right, below the Lyfa logo), designed in the 1960s for the Divan 2 restaurant in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens.

Lyfa won nine iF design awards during the 60s and 70s. These were a 1967 award for Bent Karlby's P523 pendant light, two awards in 1969 for the Glastop ceiling lights by Nils and Eva Koppel, three awards in 1971 for Piet Hein's pendant lights, one award in 1973 for Louis Weisdorf's Turbo II ceiling light, and two awards in 1978 for Klaus Helweg-Larsen's Varia lights.

Simon Henningsen

Bent Karlby

Louis Weisdorf