Pair of Tivoli Jørn Utzon pendant lights for Nordisk Solar Denmark, 1950-60s

Pair of tivoli pendant lamps. Vintage edition in black and white, manufactured by nordisk solar in the 1950s or 1960s. The tivoli pendant lamp was designed in 1947 by danish architect jørn utzon, long before his famous architectural competition win for the sydney opera house. At the time, utzon was also designing lamps, which were his passion, to generate extra income for his family. The inspiration behind these lamps comes from the maritime heritage of his home city of copenhagen. It is easy to see how their design echoes the ships, smokestacks and bridges that lined copenhagen harbour in the mid-20th century. Originally, these lamps were sold by nordisk solar as the ‘tivoli pendant’, but they were later renamed ‘p254’ to avoid copyright issues with the tivoli gardens amusement park in the heart of copenhagen. Today, the tivoli lamp, now renamed utzon ju1, has been reissued by the danish company &tradition. The lamps are rewired with textile cables and retain their original sockets for e27 bulbs.