Lumini Collections presents an original brutalist floor lamp designed by Albano Poli in 1960. The lamp exemplifies the brutalist movement's emphasis on raw materials and minimal design, featuring thick Murano glass, iron, and a touch of bronze. Italian artisan Albano Poli founded the iconic manufacturing company Poliarte, which ceased production in the late 1970s, making this lamp a rare and spectacular example of brutalist design.
image 1 - Albano Poli Brutalist Floor Lamp. Lumini Collections Showroom 2025.
Albano Poli
Albano Poli, born in Verona, Italy, in 1935, is a renowned artist and craftsman celebrated for his mastery of glass art and his contributions to Brutalist design. Poli studied at the Napoleone Nani art school under Pino Casarini, who encouraged him to explore glass as a medium for artistic expression. His career began with the restoration and reproduction of stained glass windows for churches, eventually evolving into the creation of unique abstract compositions that harmonised liturgical messages with their architectural contexts.
image 2 - Albano Poli.
When traditional techniques meet modern creativity
Poli's work extended beyond stained glass to include mosaics, frescoes, sculptures in bronze and wood, and monumental designs in stone and metal. His "Renaissance" workshop became a hub for innovative artistry, blending traditional techniques with modern creativity. In the late 20th century, Poli ventured into Brutalist design through his company Poliarte. He created lighting fixtures characterized by rugged hand-forged iron structures encasing irregularly chipped glass pieces. These works embodied the raw aesthetic of Brutalism while introducing vibrant colours and textures that challenged its monochromatic conventions.
image 3 - Chapel Brion Cenetery by late Carlo Scarpa Architect. San Vito D'Altivole, Italy. Completed in 1978.
Brutalism as a movement
Emerging in 1950s Britain amid post-war reconstruction, Brutalism became a defiant architectural movement defined by raw concrete, geometric boldness, and socialist ideals. Architect-critic Reyner Banham coined the term “New Brutalism” in 1955, inspired by the French béton brut (raw concrete) and the unapologetic honesty of buildings like Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille.
Origins and Philosophy
The movement rebelled against decorative modernism, prioritising functional and structural transparency. Alison and Peter Smithson crystallised its ethos with projects like Hunstanton School (1954), showcasing exposed steel frames and unfinished materials. Brutalism’s mantra- formal clarity, exposed structures, and unadorned materials- mirrored post-war pragmatism and socialist visions of egalitarian communities.
Global Reach and Legacy
Brutalism spread globally, from Louis Kahn’s Yale Art Gallery to Eastern Bloc apartment buildings, symbolising both utopian ambition and bureaucratic austerity. By the late 1970s, its stark aesthetic became synonymous with urban decay, leading to widespread demolition.
Yet its resurgence in the 21st century celebrates its raw authenticity and democratic aspirations, cementing its place as a radical chapter in architectural history.
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