Bernard Schottlander

Bernard Schottlander was born in the German city of Mainz in 1924 and arrived in Leeds as a Jewish refugee in 1939. During the war he worked in a factory as a welder. Later he took a course in sculpture at Leeds College of Art. Thanks to his talent, he won a scholarship that took him to the Arts Centre in St John’s Woods.

Bernard Schottlander continued his journey and soon found himself designing interiors and making sculptures. After several successful years as an industrial designer, Bernard Schottlander chose to focus on sculpture. In 1966 he had his first solo exhibition at Hamilton Galleries in London. He set up a studio in North London with his assistant George Nash, who had already learned his craft in the Royal Air Force's workshops. Their work at this stage was essentially artistic in nature, exploring new forms, and each piece was handmade in strictly limited editions.

Schottlander's most famous work is the Mantis lamp series, which he designed in 1951. He was an artist, engineer and craftsman for whom movement was a key feature of his work. He designed a clever and carefully thought-out system of counterweights which, combined with a series of strong and flexible metal rods, made up the well-known lamp with the unique shade. Schottlander's creative use of light combined with the play between balance and imbalance creates what we at NO-GA describe as solid simplicity and modern elegance. These early luminaires quickly became classics around the world. All lamps in the Mantis series are suitable for a wide range of environments and have since become popular design favourites. At NO-GA we offer Mantis in a wide range of fixtures such as wall, floor and ceiling lamps.