Lucifer Lighting Company, a family-owned company out of San Antonio that produces lighting products for architects, retail and institutions, opened a permanent two-story flagship showroom at 11 Jay, adding to the Tribeca Design District. The company also has a showroom in San Francisco.

The company was founded 40 years ago by Gilbert Mathews, whose family owned Frost Bros., a chain of high-end department stores founded in Texas in 1917 and that closed in 1988. Mathews became a lawyer, but returned to the stores and more importantly, to lighting. From an interview in Architect Magazine: Frost Bros. was “one of the first to employ a European-imported low-voltage strip-light for casework, what became known as the Lucifer light and served as the starting point for Lucifer Lighting Company, founded by Mathews in 1980. Now, with his children working alongside him, the company continues to evolve, exploring the potential that solid-state lighting has to offer.”

Mathews also collects postmodern and contemporary art with his wife, Suzanne, and their personal collection is displayed at their 13-acre campus in San Antonio as well as their showrooms. On Jay, the company partnered with Chelsea gallery Lehmann Maupin to feature works from their roster of artists, including David Salle and Catherine Opie, in the showroom. A custom sculpture made by Gensler San Francisco from repurposed Lucifer Lighting materials is displayed on the first floor along with pieces from the family’s collection by Francisco Toledo, Jim Sullivan and more.

Lucifer Lighting Company
11 Jay | Greenwich & Hudson
Open to the public by appointment.
showroom@luciferlighting.com