A seminar was held at the ARCH Moscow exhibition,dedicated to Gino Sarfatti – one of the greatest lighting designers of the last century Gino Sarfatti can be called the father of modern lighting design. The models he created in the last century are still produced, are successful and considered fashionable. His creations have served and continue to serve as inspiration for many outstanding designers. How did he achieve such fame? And who is he? Gino Sarfatti, the greatest Italian lighting designer, was born on September 16, 1912 in Venice. His father was the head of a successful company, his mother belonged to the Zuccoli family from Trieste. They created all the conditions for financial well-being and education of their children. In 1930, Gino Sarfatti entered the Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Genoa. Meanwhile, the political situation in the country began to deteriorate sharply, and five years later, when Sarfatti was only 23 years old, as a result of sanctions imposed in Italy, his father's business was destroyed. Due to financial problems, he had to abandon his studies and move to Milan. In February 1939, Gino founded the lighting company Arteluce. The first Arteluce lighting sales center was opened in Milan on Corso Littorio (now Corso Matteotti). That same year, he married Yolanda Marazza.
In 1943, due to the tightening of fascistThe Sarfatti family was forced to move to Switzerland by the nationalist laws and the constant bombing of Milan. But immediately after the liberation of Italy from the regime of Benito Mussolini, Gino returned to Milan and began to modernize the company. In 1953, the Milan Arteluce store was completely transformed according to the design of Marco Zanuso and attracted the attention of the international community. And already in 1954, at the tenth exhibition in the Milan Triennale, the models "1063" and "1065" were awarded the Grand Prix, and the model "559" won the ADI Compasso d’Oro. The following year, Sarfatti managed to repeat this success with the model "1055". In 1962, Vittorio Viganò designed the new Arteluce store on Via Della Spiga in Milan. Great things require hard work. Since 1949, international orders and large-scale projects have joined the retail production of progressive lamps: the decoration of the cruise ships Michelangelo and Rafaello, the creation of the "cloud-like" Nuvola installation for the Regio theater in Turin. At the end of 1973, Sarfatti decided to sell Arteluce to Flos and retire to live in his house in Griante on Lake Como. Gino Sarfatti died on March 6, 1985, and Flos continues to produce the lamps he created. And they are still at the peak of fashion. This year in May, at the ARCH Moscow exhibition, an exposition was created that presented the most outstanding models of the genius of lighting design. Also for all interested parties, a seminar was held dedicated to the work of Gino Sarfatti, organized by the official representative of Flos in Russia - the Archistudia company. It is amazing how rich the last century was in engineering and design inventions.
BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE FLOS FACTORY AND THE ARCHISTUDIA COMPANY
Gino Sarfatti: the great magician of light
