Gino Sarfatti

Designer (1912-1985)

Gino Sarfatti is one of the most significant figures in the history of Italian industrial design. Throughout his career he developed more than 700 luminaires as the creative engine behind Arteluce, the company he founded in 1939 which brought premier lighting into the 20th century combining innovative ideas with groundbreaking design.

Born in Venice in 1912, Gino Sarfatti studied to become an aeronautical engineer until family circumstances compelled him to relocate to Milan where he had his first encounter with lighting, an engineering project to transform a glass vase into a lamp. This encounter with lighting design and engineering shaped the path of his life. Throughout his career, Gino Sarfatti explored and was inspired by new product typologies, innovative materials, lighting technologies, and production techniques. His hybrid and entrepreneurial talent as a designer and engineer enabled him to create refined products in both aesthetics and function. In 1973 he retired on Lake Como, with Flos acquiring Arteluce and their expansive catalog. Gino Sarfatti passed away at Gravedona in 1985.

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