Gino Sarfatti

More about Gino Sarfatti – the circumstances that put him in the spotlight

Gino Sarfatti was born in Venice back in 1912, and as a young man, he was engaged in a technical education. He wanted to be an aviation technician, but unfortunately – luckily for us – circumstances pertaining to his family forced him to go back to Milan. This marked the beginning for one of the biggest Italian lighting designers in modern history.

The first meeting with lighting design

Back in Milan, Gino Sarfatti encountered lighting design for the first time, and the task at hand was clear. He had to transform a glass vase into a lamp.

This meeting sparked a fascination with light and lighting – and that became vocation.

By the age of 27, he had already founded his lighting company, Arteluce. At this point, his career really started to kick off, and he brought Italian lighting into the 20th century. Sarfatti combined innovative ideas with groundbreaking design.

Gino Sarfatti and Arteluce won a series of prizes and awards, including the Compasso d’Oro – the first and most prestigious prize in the industry – in 1954 and 1955. These successes continued, and Arteluce and Sarfatti received an honorary diploma from Triennale di Milano: a conference for architectural and industrial design that was founded in 1923 and takes place in Milan every third year.

Triennale di Milano became an important meeting point for the leading Italian architects in the 1950s and 1960s.

Arteluce – a persistent success

Arteluce was founded by Gino Sarfatti in 1939, and through hard work and a safe strategy, the company amassed great success. The first Arteluce shop was opened in Milan and designed with the help of Marco Zanuso, an Italian architect who would later become famous for his large buildings and iconic chairs. 10 years later, Sarfatti designed his flagship, which is located on Via dell Spiga. The design was created in partnership with his lifelong friend, Vittoriano Viganò, who knew a little something or other about lighting as well. Viganò is known for the VV lamp collection, which can be found in the Astep collection.

Gino Sarfatti lamps

Throughout his career, Gino Sarfatti was inspired by new types of products, innovative materials, lighting technology, and production techniques.

His talent for design and engineering enabled him to create refined lamps, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Gino Sarfatti retired in 1973 and sold his legacy to Flos, who now carry his popular 2097 chandelier

The Sarfatti name is synonymous with world-class lighting, and a selection of the lovely lamps designed by Gino Sarfatti is available at Astep, where you will also meet the third generation of the Sarfatti family – a designer born into the spotlight.