Above: The model 2109 ceiling lamp designed by Sarfatti and produced by Arteluce in 1962. Photo: galleriao.net
Gino Sarfatti is considered one of the most important designers of the the twentieth century. Despite training as an aerospace engineer, Sarfatti made a name for himself creating modern lighting. In 1939 he founded his company Arteluce, a manufacturer that specialized in lighting designs, and developed a style that placed the light bulb, rather than the surrounding lamp, at the center of the design. Arteluce soon became a national and international reference point for the modern architecture movement in lighting. In 1954, Sarfatti’s minimal model 1063 floor lamp -considered far ahead its time – won the grand prize at the Milan X Triennale design fair.
The model 2109 ceiling lamp designed in 1962 paired with with some chairs designed by Jean Prouve. Photo: Architectural Digest
The model 2065 GF suspended light designed in 1950. Photo: Flos
Gino Sarfatti and Arteluce won numerous prizes and awards including the Compasso d’Oro in 1954 and 1955, and the Honorary Diploma of the Milan Triennale. Arteluce was also a meeting place and an important forum for many of the leading Italian designers in the 50’s and 60’s including Franco Albini, Ico Parisi, and Gino Stoppino
The Arteluce store on Corso Matteotti in Milan in 1963. Photo: Archivio Storico Flos
During the course of his career Gino Sarfatti created over 400 lighting designs and any attempt to create a comprehensive gallery of his works would be daunting but here a few of his better known pieces.
Designer Gino Sarfatti (1912 – 1984)
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