Red Ra-40 Pendant Lamp by Piet Hein for Lyfa, Denmark, 1960s

Danish scientist, mathematician, inventor, artist, designer, philosopher, and poet Piet Hein was born in Copenhagen in 1905. Despite his brilliance—or because of it— he never completed a degree. He first enrolled in philosophy courses at the Metropolitan School (Metropolitanskolen) of Copenhagen, but left soon after to study art at a private academy and eventually the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (Kungliga Akademien för de Fria Konsterna) in Stockholm.  Then, he returned to Copenhagen to study philosophy and theoretical physics at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet)—which would later be called The Niels Bohr Institute—and the Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet). Hein’s diverse educational background facilitated his life’s work, which straddled the line between art and science.

During World War II, Hein joined the Danish resistance to the German occupation and began to publish a series of poems in the daily newspaper, Politiken, under the pseudonym Kumbel Kumbell. These grooks—or Danish poems—were often coded messages to the Danish people not to succumb to evil, and generally contained philosophical advice on the art of living. He would go to publish thousands over his lifetime.

In the postwar era, Hein invented the superellipse—an advanced geometrical figure that combined the ellipse and rectangle—which he derived through the mathematics. Hein first used the superellipse to solve a traffic problem in Stockholm’s Sergel’s Square, in the form of an elliptical roundabout. The new oval-like shape was quickly adopted by postwar Scandinavian architects, and it has since then been used in buildings and urban planning worldwide, from Canada, Mexico, and the US, to France, Japan, and beyond.

Hein also used the superellipse in his industrial designs, including the Superellipse Tables (1968), designed in collaboration with Swedish architect-designer Bruno Mathsson (1907-1988) and Danish architect-designer Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) for the Danish manufacturer Fritz Hansen.

Other designs in Hein’s repertoire include sculptures, such as the Helix Helios Sundial (1989); various board games, such as Soma (1933) and Con-Tac-Tix (1942); and lighting fixtures, such as the Ra Lamp (1931) and Funco Table Lamp (1933). Hein’s Super-Egg (1965) is another elliptical design that has taken many different forms, including children’s toys, houseware, and lighting fixtures.

Throughout his life, Hein worked with and befriended several intellectual luminaries, including American mathematician Norbert Wiener, Danish physicist Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, and Charlie Chaplin. Hein received many awards and accolades, including the Aarestrup Medal (1969), the Danish ID Prize (1971), and Chapter of the Royal Danish Order of Chivalry (1989), among many others. In 1972, Yale University award Hein an honorary doctorate degree. Hein passed away in 1996.

Danish lighting company Lyfa was originally founded ca. 1924 under the name of Københavns Lampe Og Lysekronefabrik in the early 20th century. Based in the greater Copenhagen area and renamed Lyfa ca. 1930, the firm began producing table lamps inspired by the multi-shaded PH Series (from 1925) by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen. Lyfa's lighting continued to show this influence through the 1940s.

By the 1950s, Lyfa had built an international reputation for original, high-quality, modernist lamps. In the postwar era, the company collaborated with esteemed architects and designers to produce minimalist, sculptural, "Space Age" table lamps, wall lights, and pendants, especially in colored glass, plastic, and enameled aluminum.

Bent Karlby, in particular, created a number of successful designs for Lyfa in the 1960s, such as the Kvadrille Wall Light, Omega Pendant, Pan-Opticon Wall Light, Påfugl/Peacock Wall Light, and Wonderlamp Pendant. One of Lyfa's most iconic designs is the Facet Pendant (1963/66), as well as its successor, the polychrome Facet Pop Pendant (1970) by Louis Weisdorf. It's also believed that Lyfa was the main producer of Orrefors lighting and designer Carl Fagerlund.

Other standout Lyfa collaborators in the midcentury include Michael Andersen, Acton Bjørn, Claus Bonderup, Piet Hein, Klaus Helweg-Larsen, Simon Henningsen, Finn Juhl, and Nils and Eva Koppel.

In its heydey—from the 1950s to mid-1970s—Lyfa was considered a pioneer in innovative, architectural lighting. Along the way, the company received numerous awards—including multiple International Forum Product Design Awards. Lyfa merged with Danish lighting competitor Fog & Mørup in the mid '70s. The new company operated as Lyfa-Fog & Mørup until the 1980s when it was taken over by a mass-market lighting producer, Lyskaer, and the Fog & Mørup brand was abandoned. That company has since changed hands, with the Lyfa label currently owned (but largely discontinued) by Nordlux of Ålborg.