Biography of Ingo Maurer

„The quality of the light is more important to me than the form, and that’s what I’ve focused on,“ says Ingo Maurer about his work as one of the most important light artists.Designer of the 20th century. His lighting designs were preceded by the iconic lamp „Bulb“, which came about in 1966 through a twist of fate and has accompanied Ingo Maurer throughout his life: „The light bulb has always been my guiding principle, from the very beginning.“ Maurer’s designs are diverse and sometimes arise in symbiotic cooperation with other designers, such as in 2012 with Moritz Waldemeyer for the LED lamp with the telling name „My New Flame“.

Ingo Maurer was born on May 12, 1932, on the German island of Reichenau in Lake Constance, the son of a fisherman and inventor. He grew up there with his four siblings, enjoying a free and nature-oriented environment, before training as a typographer in nearby Konstanz. From 1954 to 1958, Maurer studied graphic design in Munich. Two years later, he seized the opportunity to gain professional experience as a graphic designer in the United States – in New York and San Francisco – until 1963. Returning to Germany in 1966, Maurer founded "Design M," an industrial design company under which his own lighting designs were developed, manufactured, and distributed. "Bulb," an oversized light bulb, was one of his first designs in 1966 and was immediately added to the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art ( ) in 1969.MoMA) is recorded in New York.

Love at first sight

The origin story of the "Bulb" table and floor lamp It's as simple as it is ingenious. Maurer recounts that he was in Venice on business and, after a wonderful meal, returned to his simple hostel with a bottle of red wine. There, a bare lightbulb illuminated his room. "It was like a 'coup de foudre' ('love at first sight')!" Maurer recalls. Still slightly tipsy, he sketched a lamp, and the next day, he found a manufacturer on Murano who produced a first draft of the glass within a day and a half. Back in Munich, the glass was complemented by a base made of pressed metal. "The Bulb was born!"‚

Tears of the Fisherman

But the process from initial idea to finished object isn't always as quick as with "Bulb." "Some ideas I 'pregnant' for a long time." For example, "Lacrime del Pescatore." This charismatic light object, consisting of three nylon nets, hundreds of crystals, and a spotlight, is probably his most time-consuming design. "I carried this idea around with me for decades before I realized it," Maurer explains. This is certainly also because the story behind this light object is linked to Maurer's childhood. Thus, "Lacrime del Pescatore"—the "Fisherman's Tears"—is an homage to the fishing village on Lake Constance where Ingo Maurer grew up.

Rebranding and fan-shaped lights

Around the same time that the company "Design M" ceased operations and "Ingo Maurer Lighting GmbH" began in Munich, in 1973, Maurer's fan-shaped lamps "Uchiwa" became fashionable. The fans for the lamps were manufactured by Shigeki-san, a great master of fan making, in a traditional fan manufactory in Japan using traditional manufacturing methods.

Groundbreaking lighting system

In 1984, the low-voltage lighting system "YaYaHo" followed. It consists of two horizontal metal wires and freely movable light elements with halogen lamps that can be individually arranged and aligned. This idea, too, matured for several years before being ready for mass production. It originated during Maurer's New Year's stay in Haiti. On New Year's morning, the lighting designer is said to have spotted an oversized light bulb in a small square, soldered directly to the wiring. Maurer took the idea back to his New York studio. For an initial visualization, Maurer and his team began stringing cables. The groundbreaking "YaYaHo" lighting system became a model for many imitators.

One from the Heart

In 1989, Ingo Maurer designed the table lamp „One From The Heart“As a wedding gift for friends, the light object was so well received that it was eventually developed into a mass-produced item and remains a permanent part of the Ingo Maurer collection to this day. Other prominent designs by Ingo Maurer include: the stork legs “Bibibibi” (1982) made of red plastic, the pair of wings “Lucellino” (1992), the pendant lamps “Porca Miseria!” (1994) and “Zettel’z 5” (1997), as well as Alizz T. Cooper (2008). Since the early 1980s, Maurer has collaborated with a group of developers who support him in realizing his ideas.”.

Light should float!

In the year before the turn of the millennium, Maurer opened his first showroom in New York, followed in 2009 by a second, larger showroom in Munich, which also serves as an exhibition space. Besides his own showrooms, Ingo Maurer's trade fair stands, which can be described more accurately as installations, are legendary at events such as Euroluce in Milan, Italy, and Light + Building in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition to the strong formal language of his lighting objects, Maurer explores their unique (light) effect on people. Most people have light fixtures in their homes that are mounted directly on the ceiling or just below it. Not for Ingo Maurer. His conviction: light should float!

International light installations

In 1990, Ingo Maurer began developing lighting installations for public and private clients, in addition to individual lamps. His curved light objects in the Westfriedhof subway station in Munich, completed in 1998, are particularly noteworthy in this context. A year later, Maurer designed a light installation for fashion designer Issey Miyake's fashion show in Paris and developed a light object for the showroom in London. In 2006, Maurer's design portfolio included light installations and objects for the interior of the Atomium in Brussels. For Bodegas Vega Sicilia in the Ribera del Duero wine region of Spain, Maurer created, among other things, an approximately eight-meter-high and six-meter-wide tree made of Corten steel in 2013. "The Tree," as Maurer calls it, stands guard over the vines like a protector and is visible from afar. Ingo Maurer also works internationally in the hotel sector: „Flying Discs“ for the hotel lobby and hotel bar of the Unique Hotel in Sao Paulo / Brazil in 2016, the so-called „Golden Ribbon“ for the lobby of the Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, South Korea in 2015 and „Pendulum“, an almost two-meter-long, highly polished pendulum for the luxury hotel „The London Edition“ in London, England.

Subway lighting and color concepts

His subway lighting concept was met with such enthusiasm and widespread approval in Munich that Maurer developed another lighting and color concept for the Münchner Freiheit subway station between 2008 and 2009. This was followed by lighting solutions for the following stations: Moosfeld (1999), Marienplatz (2015), and Sendlinger Tor (2022), all in Munich, as well as seven stations of the Karlsruhe light rail system in 2021. His other projects in Munich include a light installation within the shop design for the Schuster sports store (2018) and a lighting concept for the Munich Residenztheater, featuring a Silver Cloud light installation in the winter garden and red LED signs (2019). The list of custom-made and one-off pieces for private clients and public buildings – both nationally and internationally – is extensive. It begins with lighting solutions for the Radisson Collection Hotel in Tsinandali, Georgia, and extends far beyond the "Flying to Peace" pendulum for the Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany (both in 2018).

International Exhibitions

Ingo Maurer's designs and objects have been featured in numerous exhibitions, including solo shows such as "Ingo Maurer: Working with Light" at the Villa Stuck in Munich (1992), "Licht licht" at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (1993), the ephemeral visionary "Ingo Maurer.Light" at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, and the traveling exhibition "Ingo Maurer: Light – Reaching the Moon," organized by the Vitra Design Museum, which toured Europe and Japan (2002). The Neue Sammlung – Museum für Gestaltung (The New Collection – Museum of Design) opened a solo exhibition of more than 80 objects by the lighting designer on November 15, 2019. Ingo Maurer was unable to open the exhibition himself, as he passed away in Munich on October 21, 2019, before the opening.

„Curiosity and a joy in new things are not dependent on age,“ is Ingo Maurer’s credo, which is also evident in his designs. This is probably precisely why his design objects are so unique and absolutely timeless.

At TAGWERC You can find the entire Ingo Maurer collection online at the TAGWERC Design STORE, where you can experience a curated selection of Ingo Maurer design objects. For any Ingo Maurer objects not listed here, we would be happy to provide you with a customized offer.