Gino Sarfatti Furniture
That a spiky, futuristic chandelier named “Sputnik,” which was highly suggestive of the Soviet satellite of the same name, designed by an Italian engineer could predate the space age and the satellite’s launch by a few decades is the stuff of legend. But in 1939, Venetian-born Gino Sarfatti channeled his obsession with light and expert engineering skills into a design so bold it predicted the future. He would go on to design around 700 lighting products in his lifetime — each table lamp, wall light, pendant and chandelier superb and unorthodox in shape.
Sarfatti’s singular focus on creating opulent lighting designs that were rational in their use of resources makes him one of the most innovative lighting designers in history. He was studying to be an aeronautical engineer at the University of Genoa when his family’s financial troubles led him to drop out and move to Milan to help. During this time, he built a lamp for a friend using a coffee machine’s electric components and a glass vase. This exercise sparked his fascination with lighting, and he went on to found Arteluce in 1939. What followed was a period of working with skilled artisans and tinkering with materials instead of sketching. The self-taught designer soon established himself as a creator of provocative, sculptural luxury lighting. Through the company, he collaborated with some of the 20th century’s most influential designers, such as Vittoriano Viganò, who worked on Arteluce lighting between 1946 and 1960. In the 1950s and ’70s, Franco Albini, Franca Helg, Ico Parisi and Massimo Vignelli all contributed designs.
Sarfatti used resources mindfully and injected functionality into everything he designed. His light fixtures were lightweight, easy to take apart and reassemble and could be affordably repaired. This marriage of utilitarianism and glamour lent Sarfatti’s designs a clean, minimal yet arresting splendor, based on their graphical forms and construction.
After World War II, Sarfatti embraced new wiring technologies and materials like plexiglass, such as his 1972 project with Carlo Mollino that filled the Teatro Regio in Turin with hundreds of plexiglass pipes. In 1973, Sarfatti sold Arteluce to FLOS. His foresight, invention and fearlessness as a designer are revered to this day.
Find a collection of vintage Gino Sarfatti lighting now on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass, Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Aluminum
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Blown Glass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Metal, Aluminum
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass, Metal
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Metal
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Enamel
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Metal
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Gino Sarfatti Furniture
Steel
