Three Steel Lamps

Three model 1073/3 lamps in steel, aluminum and craquelé metal base, by Gino Sarfatti. 

Prod. Arteluce, Italy, 1956

Cm 207x24x24 (large) Cm 198x24x24 (medium) Cm 183x24x24 (small)

Bibliography: Gino Sarfatti, selected works 1938-1973, p. 454.

Good conditions!

Gino Sarfatti (1912, 1985) was born in Venice on 16 September 1912. The childhood of Gino and his brothers is marked by the economic comfort and the cosmopolitan environment of the lagoon city. In 1930 he moved to Genoa to enroll in the faculty of

Aeronautical Engineering. In the meantime, however, the political situation deteriorates. In 1935 the "stop of the ships", caused by the sanctions imposed on Italy by the League of Nations, ruined his father.

At the age of 23, Sarfatti was forced to interrupt his studies. He moved to Milan and, in February 1939, founded Arteluce.

Arteluce has opened a store in Corso Littorio, now Corso Matteotti. In 1943, due to the racial laws and the bombing of Milan, he took refuge with his family in Switzerland. Immediately after the liberation, he returned to Milan and reorganized the production.

In 1950 he made an important trip to the United States, during his absence he entrusted the artistic direction of Arteluce to Vittoriano Viganò. In 1953 the shop was completely renovated by Marco Zanuso and became the center of international attention.

In 1954, the 1063 and 1065 models obtained the "Grand Prix" at the X Triennale and the 559 model won the Compasso d'Oro. The following year, the award was repeated with the 1055 model.

Large volumes of activity lead to a spasmodic commitment. Since 1949, retail production has been accompanied by export activity and large-scale projects. The latest are the Michelangelo and Raffaello cruise ships and the "cloud" installation for the Teatro

Regio in Turin. At the end of 1973, Sarfatti decided to sell Arteluce to Flos and retired to live in the house in Griante on Lake Como.

He died on March 6, 1985.