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DESIGNER PORTRAIT

Bill Curry

1927 - 1971

American designer William ‘Bill’ Edwin Curry captured the zeitgeist

of the 1960s and ‘70s with his iconic lamp designs.

From his unique Los Angeles vantage point at the meeting point of

art, design and engineering, during an era defined by the space race,

pop culture and a new forward-looking optimism, he translated the

wonder and delight he saw around him into simple yet intelligent

ideas with clear visual narratives.

Curry graduated from the Los Angeles Art Center before starting

his career as an ad man, graphic designer and art director in the aero-

tech industry. In 1962, Curry launched his own home furnishings

company, Design Line Inc.

Credited with developing the first ‘total look’ lamp forms –

eliminating the base-bulb-shade concept and instead exploiting the

bare bulb in a playful, self-contained unit – he was recognized as one

of California’s leading designers by the time he died at the age of

just 43.