ARRI Arnold & Richter 2KW Cinema Spotlight Floor Lamp, Munich 1950s, Fresnel Lens, Original Beam Control on Rolling Tripod

ARRI was founded in Munich in 1917 by August Arnold and Robert Richter, two young cinematographers who built their first products in a rented shoemaker's shop and went on to define the visual language of professional cinema for the next century. ARRI has been manufacturing spotlights since 1924, and from 1953 at a dedicated lighting facility in Stephanskirchen near Rosenheim. The spotlight in front of you came from that tradition. It is a 2KW cinema spotlight, built in Munich in the 1950s, at a time when ARRI lighting was standard equipment on film sets across Europe and beyond.

The object

This is not a small lamp. At 65 by 50 by 43 centimetres, the ARRI 2KW is a serious piece of professional cinema equipment. Originally designed to run at 2,000 watts, it was built for film sets and studios where quality, reliability, and precise beam control were non-negotiable requirements. The Fresnel lens remains in place at the front of the housing, the same optical glass that shaped and softened light on sets for decades.

The beam-control knob on the body is intact and fully operational. Turn it and the beam transitions from tight spot to wide flood, exactly as a camera operator or gaffer would have adjusted it between takes. That control was never removed. It defines this object.

The metal rolling tripod extends from 200 to a maximum of approximately 400 centimetres, though the lamp works best and is most visually commanding at lower heights where the scale of the spotlight reads clearly in a room.

ARRI's place in cinema history

Since its founding, ARRI has received 19 Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The cameras and lighting produced in Munich in the 1950s were the tools of cinematographers who shaped the look of post-war European and Hollywood cinema. This spotlight is a physical artefact of that period, not a replica or a later reproduction. 

Restored for use

Professionally rewired and ready to use from the moment it arrives.

• E27 fitting, compatible with all standard bulb types including LED
• Approx. 3 metres of electrical cord
• Original on-body switch fully functional
• EU plug included
• Light bulb shown in photographs included
• Fresnel lens intact
• Original flood-to-spot beam control knob operational
• Spotlight head fully adjustable in all directions

Specificaties

| Make | ARRI (Arnold & Richter Cine Technik) |
| Model | 2KW cinema spotlight |
| Origin | Munich, Germany |
| Period | 1950s |
| Original wattage | 2,000W |
| Spotlight dimensions | 65 x 50 x 43 cm / 25.6 x 19.7 x 16.9 in |
| Tripod material | Chrome metal |
| Total height (adjustable) | 200 to approx. 400 cm / 78.7 to 157.5 in |
| Fitting | E27 (LED compatible) |
| Cord | Approx. 3 metres |
| Plug | EU standard |

Condition

Original vintage object. The spotlight carries honest patina and surface wear from decades of professional film set use. The Fresnel lens has minor marks consistent with its age. Fully functional. No hidden damage.

One piece. No reissue. No reproduction.