The lighting maker Arteluce was one of the companies at the heart of the creative explosion in postwar Italian design. The firm’s founder and guiding spirit, Gino Sarfatti (1912–85), was an incessant technical and stylistic innovator who almost single-handedly reinvented the chandelier as a modernist lighting form.
Sarfatti attended the University of Genoa to study aeronautical engineering but was forced to drop out when his father’s company went out of business. His mechanical instincts led him to turn his attention to lighting design — and he founded Arteluce as a small workshop in Milan in 1939. Sarfatti’s father was a Jew, so the family fled to Switzerland in 1943, but after the war — largely thanks to Sarfatti’s insistence on efficiency of design and manufacture — Arteluce quickly established itself as a top firm.
Though Sarfatti continued as chief designer through the 1950s and ’60s, he also enlisted other designers such as Franco Albini and Massimo Vignelli to contribute work. Sarfatti sold Arteluce to FLOS — a rival Italian lighting maker — in 1973 and retired to pursue a more traditional avocation: collecting and dealing rare postage stamps.
Sarfatti is regarded by many collectors as a pioneer of minimalist design. He pared down his lighting works to their essentials, focusing on practical aspects such as flexibility of use. His most famous light, the 2097 chandelier, is a brilliant example of reductive modernist design, featuring a central cylinder from which branches numerous supporting fixtures extending like spokes on a wheel.
Similarly, Sarfatti's 566 table lamp is a simple canister, able to be raised or lowered on a stem, holding a half-chrome bulb. Despite the marked functionality of his designs, Sarfatti did have a sprightly side: His 534 table lamp, with its cluster of rounded enameled shades, resembles a vase full of flowers, the Sputnik chandelier (model 2003) was inspired by fireworks and the brightly colored plastic disks of the 2072 chandelier look like lollipops. No matter the style, Sarfatti concentrated first and foremost on the character of light created — and any Arteluce lamp is a modernist masterpiece.
Find vintage Arteluce table lamps, chandeliers, floor lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $3,193 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
Model Combi A305 Ceiling Lamp by Arteluce, 1970s
By Arteluce
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Model Combi A305 ceiling lamp by Arteluce, 1970s. This striking vintage light features a bold circular form with a large white diffuser framed by contrasting black detailing, creatin...
Metal
$12,800 / set
H 14.57 in W 17.72 in D 10.24 in
Massimo Vignelli for Arteluce Pair of '259/2' Wall Lights
By Arteluce, Massimo Vignelli
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Massimo Vignelli for Arteluce, pair of '259/2' wall lights, aluminum, fabric, Italy, 1964 In the 259/2 wall lights, designed by Massimo Vignelli for Arteluce in 1964, the interplay...
Aluminum
$220,000
H 8.27 in W 36.23 in D 36.23 in
Studio B.B.P.R. 1962 Ceiling Light for Arteluce, Lacquered Aluminum
By Studio BBPR, Arteluce
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Studio B.B.P.R. for Arteluce, ceiling light, model ‘2045/p’, lacquered aluminum, acid-etched prismatic glass, Italy, 1962 This playful ceiling light is designed by Studio B.B.P.R. f...
Metal, Aluminum
$11,700
H 17.72 in W 12.8 in D 5.91 in
Rare Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Table Lamp with Reflective Screen
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, table lamp, model '611/g-p', aluminum, lacquered steel, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1973 Very rare table lamp designed by the visionary Italian designer ...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Large Flush Mount by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Model 155, circa 1950s
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Wiesbaden, Hessen
Rare and large lacquered metal and brass flush mount by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy, circa 1950s, (Model 155) Socket: 3 x e27 or e26 (US) for standard screw bulbs. In a very go...
Metal, Brass
Modell 2133 Ceiling Lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1972
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Hagenbach, DE
This stunning Model 2133 pendant light duo by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce (1972). It is a masterful study in minimalist design—a fluted white lacquered aluminum disc, suspended effort...
Metal
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce '194N' Wall Light with Black Shade
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, wall light, model '194N', chrome-plated metal, coated aluminum, coated steel, Italy, 1950 This wall light, model 194N, is designed by the influential designer in the field of lighting design Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985) for Arteluce in 1950. Sarfatti founded Arteluce in 1936, an Italian lighting company that garnered acclaim for its groundbreaking and pioneering designs, defying conventional norms prevalent during that period. Functional principles, such as flexibility and adaptability, guided Sarfatti through the design process. He conceived a modular approach to lighting systems, enabling the user to personalize and adjust the lighting fixtures according to its preferences and needs. A significant part of the released designs incorporated practical elements, such as adjustable arms and rotating mechanisms. This innovative approach had a profound influence on the conceptualization and utilization of lighting within interiors around that time. In addition to their functional attributes, the lamps crafted by the company were predominantly characterized by a pure and minimalist aesthetic. A decoration was subordinate to the constructive element, focusing on the essential composition of geometric forms and usage of materials. Gino Sarfatti considers this type of wall lights as ‘extendible wall sconce...
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
1950s Gino Sarfatti 'Tricolore' grey table lamp for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1950s Gino Sarfatti 'Tricolore' grey table lamp for Arteluce. A striking yet minimalistic table lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti, circa 1952. This extremely rare and iconic design is...
Brass, Metal
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $3,193 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $523-$12,972 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
