Borsani and Arteluce at Jochum Rodgers in Berlin

So Happy Together

This month, Galerie Jochum Rodgers—a recently relocated (and renamed) staple of the Berlin design gallery scene for over 30 years—presents a show dedicated to the innovations of Italian designer pioneers Osvaldo Borsani and Gino Sarfatti, spanning works from the 1940s to the 1960s. (The former was part of the esteemed Borsani design family and the co-founder of Tecno, a furniture firm known for its technology and research-based approach. The latter launched the Arteluce lighting company in 1939, which was regarded for its forward-thinking technical, material, and production experimentation.) Both designers remain important touch points for the global design community, as evidenced by a comprehensive 2012 Sarfatti/Arteluce retrospective at the Triennale Museum in Milan as well as a recent announcement by Osvaldo Borsani's grandson, Tommaso Fantoni Borsani, about plans for an upcoming retrospective later this year (read our April interview with Tommaso here).

Jochum Rodgers' spacious Charlottenburg home is brimming with gorgeous works by both designers and their respective companies. Highlights include, among others, Borsani's theatrical 1942 Love Seat, the striking and adjustable Daybed L77, and a solid wood Round Table with a gorgeous, gold inlay tabletop; as well as a variety of postwar Arteluce lights incorporating materials like Plexiglas and halogen bulbs (the 1948 height-adjustable floor lamp 1045/n in steel, brass, and lacquered aluminum is a particular standout, as is a 1958, black enamel and white Perspex Sarfatti/Arteluce ceiling lamp).

The Borsani & Arteluce show at Jochum Rodgers. Pictured here: P40 Armchair (first production, 1954) and Side Table in wood, leather, and glass (1936) by Borsani. All photos courtesy of Jochum Rodgers.

The Borsani/Arteluce exhibition, including, from center to right, a Love Seat (1942) by Osvaldo Borsani, pictured with a Sarfatti/Arteluce 1958 ceiling lamp and a solid wood Round Table with gold inlay tabletop (a unique piece, 1942) by Borsani.

From left: Gino Sarfatti/Arteluce's Floor Lamp 1055 (1955), 1054 (1957), 1055 (1955), 1045 (1948), 1086 (1961), Standard Lamp (1958, private collection).

Desk Lamp by Aleksandr Rodchenko / Arteluce (1929/1973).

Daybed L77 (1957) and Library E22 (1951) by Borsani/Tecno.

BA5 From left: a 1936 Borsani side table; hammered brass sconces by Gino Sarfatti (1938-42); the adjustable leather, Chesterfield Sofa D 70 by Borsani (1954); and Floor Lamp 1073/3 by Sarfatti (1956).