Gino Sarfatti

Gino Sarfatti was born in 1912 in Venice, Italy, where he studied to be an aeronautical engineer until family circumstances forced him to move to Milan. It was there that he first encountered design. Specifically, an engineering project to convert a glass vase into a lamp. This encounter with design and independent engineering shaped the path of his life. In 1939, Gino Sarfatti founded his company Arteluce, which brought lighting combining innovative ideas with groundbreaking design.

Arteluce won numerous prizes and awards, including the Compasso d'Oro (Industrial Design Award) in 1954 and 1955 and an honorary diploma from the Milan Triennale. Arteluce became an important meeting place for many of Italy's leading architects during the 1950s and 1960s. During his career, Sarfatti explored and was inspired by new product typologies, innovative materials, lighting technologies and production techniques. His focus as a designer and engineer allowed him to create refined products in terms of both aesthetics and function. Gino Sarfatti was an important figure in the history of Italian industrial design, developing more than 700 luminaires.