The Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari is known for his works created in the 1970s
Gaetano Sciolari was born in 1927. After graduating in architecture, he studied filmmaking. After the death of his father in 1949, he returned home to take the reins of the family business, Sciolari Lighting, founded in 1892.
During the 1950s, Gaetano Sciolari became the main designer of the legendary lighting company Stilnovo, founded by Bruno Gatti in Milan in 1946. During the post-war era, many Italian companies, including Stilnovo in particular, were established. acclaimed internationally for their experiments with new materials and aerodynamic silhouettes. However, Gaetano Sciolari sticks to more traditional designs and often uses opaline glass, plexiglass and brass. Produced by Stilnovo, his Molecular Chandelier (1955) embodies his penchant for modernist geometry with decorative materials. From the mid to late 1960s, Sciolari’s designs for his own company met with success in the United States and Europe. His works are influenced by Cubism as well as Constructivism and Minimalism. But they are characterized by their sophistication, their sculptural and futuristic appearance. It uses crystal and icy glass in juxtaposition with polished metal, including an original combination of brass and chrome.
During the 1970s, Sciolari Lighting imported lamps to the United States through Lightolier & Progress Lighting, which featured numerous collections in annual catalogs including Geometric Series, Habitat Series, Scultura Series, and Futura Series. Success is there and there are many sales. The family business is strengthened.
Many claim that Sciolari produced his best work in the 1970s, when his tastes moved away from strict Modernism in favor of a more artisanal and decorative aesthetic alongside Art Deco and Space Age style. The same pattern can be observed in the creations of Paul Evans, François Monnet and Verner Panton. The Cubic Series, which has been made in a variety of sizes, configurations and finishes, is Sciolari’s most famous design. He appeared on numerous television shows in the 1970s and 80s.
Sciolari was notably the founder and first president of the professional association of Italian manufacturers of lighting equipment.
Sciolari died in 1994. Today his lamps are highly sought after by collectors.
