Gino Sarfatti

Floor lamp.
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce (under license Metalarte), 1940s.
Brass and leather.
Extendable height, minimum 183 cm; maximum 231 cm.

Especially known for his ceiling lamps inspired by antique chandeliers, but also for table lamps of remarkable originality, Gino Sarfatti created over his career more than four hundred pieces of lighting, mostly produced by Arteluce. As in many of his pieces, in the design of these lamps he starts from the structure of the classic table lamp and simplifies the forms, adapting them to a rationalist aesthetic and the use of new materials related to the world of industrial production. Sarfatti was born in Venice in 1912, and studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Genoa. From 1939 he worked in the lighting sector; he created the firm Arteluce, which was soon to become an international reference in the field of modern lighting design. Sarfatti was distinguished with important awards, such as the Compasso d'Oro in 1954 and 1955, and the Honorary Diploma of the Milan Triennale.