Specializing in luminaires and lighting installations, designer Ingo Maurer (1932 to 2019) was regarded worldwide as a poet of lighting design. Made famous by “Bulb”, one of his first designs in the form of an enlarged light bulb in 1966, he repeatedly amazed throughout his long career with surprisingly unconventional luminaires and experiments with the latest lighting technology. Ingo Maurer GmbH, founded in 1966 as “Design M”, the employees, “the team” as Ingo Maurer emphasized, played an important role from the very beginning. All products are manufactured and produced entirely by hand by the team in Munich and then distributed worldwide. The death of Ingo Maurer in October 2019 was a big break for the company.
Now Foscarini SpA and Ingo Maurer GmbH have signed an agreement under which the German company will join Foscarini’s creative hub in the decorative lighting sector. Under the deal, Foscarini will acquire 90% of Ingo Maurer’s shares. The remaining 10% will remain with Sarah Utermöhlen, the daughter of the company’s founder. With the acquisition, Foscarini intends to continue its course of growth and development: “Foscarini is positioning itself on the market as a global creative hub in the field of decorative design lighting. A hub that presents the sum of different free creative approaches that prove to be extremely expressive and have a strong character,” said Carlo Urbinati, president and founder of Foscarini. “With this acquisition, we have decided to invest in the uniqueness of the Ingo Maurer brand – a brand that has always inspired us and whose free approach and excellent products we have always admired. We accept the challenge to pay tribute to Ingo Maurer, whose story will be retold all over the world, and to drive the future development of the brand – thanks to our solid and extensive distribution network of over 2,500 dealers worldwide – in global markets. The overriding ambition is to preserve the brand’s tradition, core values and significant distinctive features.”
Sarah Utermöhlen emphasizes: “After carefully considering all the options, my sister Claude Maurer and I have decided that becoming part of the Foscarini creative universe is the right strategy for Ingo Maurer. In this way, the brand’s growth trajectory can be further strengthened, also on an international level, while preserving its tradition and fundamental values. Freedom, passion, charisma and poetry – Foscarini’s brand values could not be a better fit for Ingo Maurer. We are convinced that Foscarini is the right company to give new impetus to Ingo’s artistic world and help it to develop further. Thanks to Carlo Urbinati and his team, this handover will be marked by a fusion of ideas through which Ingo’s unique lighting designs will find additional inspiration and his vision will be brought to a growing number of markets.”
More on ndion
Discover more news on the topic of design.
Share this page on Social Media:
