Gino Sarfatti

Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985) played a key role in the history of Italian lighting design, in the dual role of designer and entrepreneur. Born in Venice in a family of the city's large Jewish bourgeoisie, a former aeronautical engineer, Sarfatti approached design as a self-taught person, founding the Arteluce company in 1939 and personally signing most of the models in the catalog. Arteluce is one of the very few Milanese realities to address the theme of lighting with a modern look, distancing itself from the traditional styles then in vogue and inserting itself in the wake of the new architectural proposals that were in those years revolutionizing the style of city interiors signed by architects such as Gio Bridges or Emilio Lancia. After taking refuge in Switzerland during the Second World War to escape racial persecution, in the post-war period Sarfatti will continue his incessant productive research that conceives light as an element aimed at making the most of architectural spaces. In addition to having designed more than 400 series models, he was also called to take care of the lighting of theaters (such as the Teatro Regio di Torino or the Piccolo Teatro di Milano), museums (including the Castello Sforzesco Museum) and ships from cruise. He was awarded two Compasses d 'Oro (1954, 1955) and the Gold Medal at the XV Triennale (1973). In 1973 he sold Arteluce to Flos. Today most of his creations are re-proposed by the Danish brand Astep, founded by his nephew Alessandro Sarfatti.