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.
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Illuminated Wall-Mounted Display Console
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, display console, metal, glass, brass, Italy, 1970s Two vertical wall mounts in black metal hold a glass shelf. At the end of the fixtures two adjustable ...
Metal, Brass
Model 211 Wall lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1950s
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Wall lamp Model 211 designed by Gino Sarfatti in 1955 and manufactured by Arteluce. Model 211 consists of an aluminum base with a screen that rotates around a tubular light bulb of ...
Aluminum
Model 50 Wall Lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1968
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Off-white lacquered Model 50 wall lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, designed in 1968 and manufactured in the 1970s. Marco Romanelli and Sandra Severi describe the wall lamp in '...
Metal
Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamps Model 237/3 Arteluce, 1959
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Pair of wall lamps model 237/3 designed by Gino Sarfatti, manufactured by Arteluce, Italy 1959. This pair of wall lamps are an iconic and famous design by Sarfatti. There are many di...
Metal, Aluminum
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Mod. 36 Wall Lamp, Italy 1955
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Naples, IT
Wall sconce Mod. "36" in chromed metal designed by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy 1955. The lamp is structured with a horizontal chromed arm connected to a square metal plate, wh...
Metal
Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamp Sconce for Arteluce, Italy 1950s
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and iconic sconce designed by Gino Sarfatti and Archimede Seguso and produced by Arteluce in Italy during the 1950s. This incredibly elegant and unique sconce is in fabu...
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
Model 226 Wall Light by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 226 Wall Light by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy, 1959 An iconic and architecturally bold wall light by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Model 226 mounts a vertical U-shaped bra...
Brass
Rare Gino Sarfatti Wall Scone for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti
Located in Munich, DE
Rare model signed with paper label.
Gino Sarfatti 228 wall lamps Arteluce Italy 1957
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare pair of model 228 wall lamps designed by Gino Sarfatti and manufactured by Arteluce in Italy in 1957. This extraordinary green colour reminds us of the flourishing Alfa Romeo Giulietta from the same year, whizzing across the Italian countryside. It’s these colour memories where we fell in love with and cherish. It could be Sarfatti once saw a car passing by and was struck by its vivid colour. These lamps have a minimalistic but strong and iconic design. The slight frosted glass diffuser sits in a metal ring. The socket is held by a metal cylinder with metal screws that are visible. The ring is attached to the wall plate. In very good original condition and rewired. Kindly note that the listed price is for the pair of 2 lamps. Literature; M. Romanelli, S. Severi, Gino Sarfatti opere scelte 1938; 1973 Silvana Editore 2012, page 447 and Arteluce vintage...
Metal
Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamps Model 238/2 Arteluce, 1960
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Pair of wall lamps model 238/2 designed by Gino Sarfatti, manufactured by Arteluce, Italy 1960. This pair of wall lamps are an iconic and famous design by Sarfatti. There are many di...
Aluminum
Wall Sconce 194n by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Beautiful extending arm wall sconce designed by Gino Sarfatti and produced by Arteluce circa 1958. It is made of a brass multi part arm and...
Aluminum, Brass
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Mod. 113/5 Light Wall Bracket
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Hanover, MA
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce 5-light wall mounted sconce, Model 113/5 (1946-1948); a series of five Model 10 white lacquered aluminum reflector shades connected by bronze patinated brass swivel joints to a 23 inch length of white lacquered "half circle" brass (Arteluce's words). I would describe it as a bisected 1.5 inch brass tube. Original Arteluce...
Aluminum, Brass
Sold
H 34.85 in W 28.75 in D 13.39 in
Illuminated Nightstands by Ico Parisi & Gino Sarfatti (Arteluce) for 'MIM', 1958
By Ico Parisi, Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti, MIM Roma
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Wonderful pair of rare "Positano" series nightstands finished in italian walnut and brass, designed in 1958 by Italian architect Ico Paris in collaboration with Gino Sarfatti (appliques) for 'MIM', Roma, Italy . These cabinets came out of a hotel in the South of Italy and these examples appear to be a bespoke production specifically for the hotel's interior as each cabinet bears a unique impressed number above the circular 'MIM' manufacturer's decal. The brass hardware on these cabinets has been beautifully executed with wonderful offset brass detailing to the door handle's backplates and delicate inset brass detailing to the drawer all arranged in a composition that remind me of the beautiful mminimal constructivist and 'arte concrete' reliefs of the period, The built in appliques for bedside reading have a Calderesque minimal sculpural beauty about them and were designed in 1957 by the great master of italian lighting ,Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce (model '222;) . These are wonderful pieces that bring art and design together which is not suprising as Ico Parisi was both an architect and artist.. The delicately and beautifully handled detailing on these cabinets is right up there with masters such as Gio Ponti and Carlo Scarpa. Other subtle but lovely details are the inset chamfered finger pulls to the inside edge of the doors. The more you look the more you appreciate these details. Each cabinet has an open upper storage compartment for books, vases etc that spans the full width of the cabinet with accompanying inbuilt Sarfatti applique for bedside reading. There is a single drawer to each cabinet which spans half the width of the cabinet with inset brass detailing to the drawer front , below that there are two storage storage cabinets...
Metal, Brass, Steel
Sold
H 35.04 in W 28.75 in D 11.82 in
1950s Ico Parisi MIM Nightstands Positano with Gino Sarfatti Arteluce Lights
By Gino Sarfatti, MIM Roma, Ico Parisi
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Very rare couple of Italian nightstands from the Positano series designed by Ico Parisi for MIM Roma, 1958. Veneered walnut case and painted steel finish. Metal sconces model 222, w...
Metal