Angelo Gaetano Sciolari (1927-1994), renowned Italian entrepreneur and designer, would not have wanted to enter the world of lighting if he had not been for the premature death of his father.
After graduating from the Faculty of Architecture, Sciolari began training as a director but after the death of his father in 1949, the 22-year-old took ov...
Angelo Gaetano Sciolari (1927-1994), renowned Italian entrepreneur and designer, would not have wanted to enter the world of lighting if he had not been for the premature death of his father.
After graduating from the Faculty of Architecture, Sciolari began training as a director but after the death of his father in 1949, the 22-year-old took over the family business. Although this new position meant a complete career change, Gaetano led the company with a great vision. In a few years, he expanded the family business. In 1954, the company won an international competition for lighting and design. An important step included the exclusive distribution of Lightolier's US products making Sciolari the leading Italian manufacturer of lamps sold in the United States and thus the largest importer in the lighting market.
Sciolari's early creations were Atom-inspired pendants, but in the 1960s he moved to classical luster forms such as the neoclassical Sciolari from the Ovali collection. These conceptions were far from traditional, but on the contrary refined, edgy and futuristic. The lines were clean and sculptural and the materials such as crystals and ice glass sparkled with a stifling freshness. Joueth Sciolari posed satin finishes against the highly polished metal for the great optical effect. He broke the traditional rules by combining brass and chrome, to bring out the best of both metals.
In the early 1970s, the European style of Sciolari was imported into America by Lightolier & Progress Lighting. Their catalogs included Sciolari collections such as the Geometric series, the Habitat series, Scultura & Futura. This cubic model with staggered light stalactites was featured in this 1976 Lightolier catalog. The sculptural chandelier Cubic of Roomscape`s still has the original Sciolari manufacturer label with cubic series logo.
A pair of these cubic chandeliers were ideal for this futuristic scene in the 1970s British science fiction television series, Space: 1999. By the 1980s the look represented glamorous modern life and so a Sciolari chandelier was The perfect lightweight choice for this 1983 episode of the Dallas TV series.
Sciolari was also the founder and first president of the professional association of Italian manufacturers of lighting fixtures, still very active today.
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