Gino Sarfatti

Born in Venice in 1912, Gino Sarfatti studied to become an aeronautical engineer until family circumstances compelled him to relocate to Milan where he had his first encounter with lighting, an engineering project to transform a glass vase into a lamp. This encounter with lighting design and engineering shaped the path of his life. In 1939 Sarfatti founded his company Arteluce, which brought lighting into the 20th century combining innovative ideas with groundbreaking design.

Throughout his career, Gino Sarfatti explored and was inspired by new product typologies, innovative materials, lighting technologies, and production techniques. His hybrid talent as a designer and engineer enabled him to create refined products in both aesthetics and function. Sarfatti was a significant figure in the history of Italian industrial design, developing more than 700 luminaires. He was twice winner of the coveted Compasso D’Oro for excellence in industrial design.

In 1973 he retired on Lake Como, with Italian lighting company Flos acquiring Arteluce and its expansive catalog. Gino Sarfatti passed away at Gravedona in 1985.

Following a tragic fire in 1936, the Piedmont Turin Regio Theatre was redesigned and rebuilt under the direction of renowned architect Carlo Mollino. It reopened in 1973 with dramatic design features including an impressive elliptical interior, glamorous detailing and a cascading pendant lighting fixture by Gino Sarfatti in the centre of the theatre hall.