Table Lamp for Kandem attributed to Marianne Brandt, 1950s

Table lamp designed by Marianne Brandt in 1928. Manufactured by Kandem (Germany). Lacquered metal. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Marianne Brandt (1893-1983) German painter, sculptor, photographer and designer who studied at the Weimar Bauhaus. She became a student of Hungarian modernist theorist and designer László Moholy-Nagy in the metal workshop. After leaving the Bauhaus, she worked for Walter Gropius in his Berlin studio. Brandt subsequently became the head of metal design at the Ruppel firm in Gotha, where she remained until losing her job in the midst of the ongoing financial depression in 1932. After World War II, Brandt remained in Germany to help rebuild her family’s home, which had been severely damaged in the bombings. She lived out her days in Germany while the Bauhaus was generally reviled as “decadent” during much of the German Democratic Reublic, by the end of her life Brandt had a loyal group of students from her many years as a teacher of design. Brandt’s designs for household objects such as lamps, ashtrays and teapots are considered the timeless examples of modern industrial design.