About the designer

Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985) was one of the most influential Italian lighting designers of the twentieth-century. Through founding his company Arteluce in Milan in 1939, he transformed the language of modern lighting through his rigorous experimentation with form, materials, and technology.

Largely self-taught, Sarfatti approached lighting as both a technical and aesthetic discipline, creating more than 600 designs during his career. His work combined industrial innovation with sculptural clarity, often reducing lamps to their essential elements while exploring new possibilities in reflection, balance, and illumination.

From early experiments in the 1940s to iconic designs such as the Model 2097 chandelier (1958), Sarfatti’s lamps became defining objects of Italian modernism. His designs received numerous awards, including multiple Compasso d’Oro recognitions, and continue to be celebrated for their timeless elegance and inventive character.

Today, Sarfatti’s work represents a key chapter in the history of twentieth-century design, bridging the worlds of architecture, technology, and art.