Gispen, W.H.

Willem Hendrik Gispen was a Dutch designer and entrepreneur. Gispen started out as an art smithy of decorative wrought iron fences, ornaments and fireplace guards at Kunstsmederij Rotterdam. In 1916 he took over the company and renamed it to Kunstsmederij W. H. Gispen & Co. During the 1920s he was influenced by the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements and the company switched to the serial production of Modernist lightning and furniture designs.