The Nesso lamp by Artemide stands as an enduring icon of Italian space age lighting design from the 1960s. Design historian Lucia Fontana notes that its distinctive dimpled form was inspired by “l'ombelico di una bella donna”—the sensuous curve of a beautiful Italian woman’s navel—inviting viewers to draw their own conclusions about its elegant shape.
Created by the Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova, a collective of designers formed in the 1960s including Pierluigi Cervellati, Umberto Maccaferri, Giancarlo Mattioli, Franco Morelli, Gianpaolo Mazzucato, and Mario Zaffagnini, the Nesso was primarily designed by Giancarlo Mattioli. The lamp’s origin traces back to a design competition held by Artemide and Editrice Domus, where it won first prize at the 1965 Milan contest.
The Nesso’s influence and recognition extend globally, with pieces included in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Denver Art Museum, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Montréal, and Milan’s Museo Permanente del Design Italiano 1945–1990.
While the Nesso may have been the standout achievement of Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova, it remains a stunning example of mid-century innovation and style, blending sculptural form with the playful futurism characteristic of the space age.
