Set of eight wall sconces in metal and opaline glass, designed by Gino Sarfatti, Model 237/1, produced by Arteluce in 1959. Sold in pairs.
A luminous and mobile globe supported by a metal ring. Suspended and mobile, almost floating. Each lamp in this collection of Arteluce wall sconces resembles a planet from the depths of space, encircled by its cosmic ring. The futuristic, cinematic design captivates with its imaginative power. The 1960s saw fashion and design inspired by the space age. Kubrick encapsulated the era's anxieties in the pulsating red light of HAL 9000. In 1968, the historic photographs from the Apollo 8 mission revealed the Earth rising from the Moon for the first time, resembling a glowing, round lamp against the dark backdrop of space. During this period, art and architecture embraced the idea of moving away from conventional forms, adopting aesthetics directly linked to a technologically advanced world, greeted with enthusiasm.
Gino Sarfatti, a designer from Veneto, through his brand Arteluce, captured the spirit of the times, pushing the boundaries of the conventional by experimenting with bold, novel solutions. Color became a protagonist in this and similar projects, with vibrant hues reflecting a desire to break free from the dominance of beige and brown shades prevalent in bourgeois interiors. The aim of some of Arteluce's productions seemed to be to abandon conventions and embrace an intuitive, subtle, and ironic elegance. In an open dialogue between fashion and desire, Sarfatti and Arteluce helped shape and educate the taste of a public sensitive to trends, yet seeking an educated aesthetic consumption. This was achieved by promoting projects and works by other notable designers of the period, such as Boeri, Frattini, and BBPR.
Between the 1960s and 1970s, Arteluce's production under Sarfatti increasingly moved away from the recognizable forms of traditional lamps towards a more conceptual luminous installation. A notable example is the "Nuvola," the luminous ceiling designed for the Teatro Regio in Turin in 1973. A constellation of four thousand luminous stems hovers above the theater seats, creating a mesmerizing effect. The theater's interiors, designed by Carlo Mollino, embrace these numerous light bulbs with a total embrace, evoking a sense of pure light rather than a conventional lamp object.
The group of wall sconces presented here is a significant part of the history and research that Sarfatti and Arteluce conducted successfully throughout much of the best of the 20th century.
The wall lamps are in excellent overall condition, completely original, and bear the "Arteluce" mark on the structures. The opaline glasses are the originals from that period and are perfectly preserved.
This model 237/1 is very rare, as it was produced in 1959 and remained in production for only a few years before being replaced in the early 1960s by the more common model 238/1, which is differentiated by its bigger size.
Dimensions: Diameter 15 cm, Depth 20 cm.
