Periscopio

“The Periscopio was conceived through the use of a strongly characterized tubular structure combined with a Cornalux light bulb, whose orientation is controlled by a joint. The idea for this joint emerged during the 1960s, a period marked by space exploration. The black rubber coverings on the elbows and knees of astronauts’ space suits particularly impressed me, and I decided to use this concept to cover the joint.

The joint allows the bulb to rotate and move in different directions. At the time, the range of colored tubes available on the market offered an interesting chromatic variety. In the early 1970s, the Museum of Modern Art in New York requested the Periscopio for its permanent design collection. The Periscopio was also an object that was widely copied at the time…”

— Corrado Aroldi, from an interview conducted in March 2013 at his studio in Milan.

Danilo Aroldi

Danilo Aroldi (1925–1988) was born in Casalmaggiore, a town located between Milan and Bologna in northern Italy, known for its international music festival. In 1936, he left his hometown and moved with his family to Milan, where he attended the Liceo Classico Statale Giosuè Carducci (Giosuè Carducci State Classical High School) and later studied at the Accademia di Brera, also in Milan.

At the academy, he studied under the masters Aldo Carpi, Carlo Carrà, and Achille Funi. Among his classmates were Dario Fo, Amilcare Rambelli, and Gianni Dova.

In the early 1960s, together with his brother Corrado Aroldi, he founded the studio Danilo e Corrado Aroldi – Architettura e Industrial Design. For Stilnovo, the studio designed several lighting projects, including the Spicchio lamp series. They also designed lamps for Luci.

Their designs have been included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Triennale di Milano, and several of their works were selected for the Compasso d’Oro.

In the early 1980s, Danilo Aroldi returned to painting. Between 1983 and 1988, he produced a coherent body of approximately three hundred works, characterized by continuous research and formal consistency. Danilo Aroldi passed away in Milan in 1988.

Corrado Aroldi

Corrado Aroldi was born in 1936 and is the younger brother of Danilo Aroldi. He works in Milan in the fields of architecture and industrial design.

His work was selected for the Compasso d’Oro in 1979 and 1991. His designs have been exhibited in design exhibitions worldwide. Corrado Aroldi has also served as a jury member for national and international design competitions and was a board member of ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale – Association for Industrial Design) from 1985 to 1988.

Stilnovo

Founded in Milan in 1946 by Bruno Gatta, Stilnovo became one of the most important Italian lighting companies of the post–World War II period. From the very beginning, the company stood out as a symbol of modern lighting design and soon became synonymous with the idea of Made in Italy.

Before World War II, modern lighting concepts developed by the German Bauhaus, French modernists, certain Dutch architects, and Poul Henningsen were seen as a radical break from decorative historicism, favoring simplicity and functionality instead. In Italy, however, this modern approach only gained real momentum after 1945. With the exception of FontanaArte —whose lighting designs were shaped by Pietro Chiesa —and the companies Arteluce (founded by Gino Sarfatti) and Arredoluce (founded by Angelo Lelli), nearly all significant Italian lighting firms devoted to modern design were established only after the war.

Stilnovo was officially founded on June 1, 1946, by Bruno Gatta in Milan, with its headquarters located at Via Borgonuovo 18. The company was formally registered with the Milan Chamber of Commerce on June 22, 1946. Only a few months after its foundation, Gatta had already succeeded in making both his company and its lamps widely known. The first documented mention of Stilnovo appeared in October 1946 through an advertisement published by Gatta in the magazine Stile. By December of the same year, the first Stilnovo lamps were already being discussed editorially in Domus and introduced to an interested group of buyers.

Bruno Gatta, born in Milan on September 23, 1904, had gained substantial experience in production, business management, and innovation from an early age. His father, Dino Gatta, originally from Turin, had co-founded the company C.G.S. (Centimetro Grammo Secondo) in 1896 together with Camillo Olivetti and Michele Ferrero. C.G.S. specialized in the design and manufacture of electrical measuring instruments. In 1903 the company moved from Turin to Milan, and a year later it was incorporated into the Measuring Instruments division of Tecnomasio Gabella. In 1907, Olivetti withdrew from the company and Dino Gatta assumed leadership as president and manager. A year later, he became one of the founding members of Ing. Olivetti & C., created by Camillo Olivetti in 1908, holding key leadership positions in the decades that followed.

Bruno Gatta and his brother Paolo grew up in an environment shaped by continuous innovation and forward-thinking ideas. After 1945, the rapid electrification of Italian households created a sharp rise in demand for electric lighting. At that time, hundreds of small and micro-businesses in Milan produced handmade residential lighting, often characterized by opulent decorations, glass ornaments, glass bowls, and ornate fabric shades, catering mainly to an affluent middle-class clientele.

Gatta ’s decision to focus on modern lighting production was therefore a logical response to an emerging market, rapid social change, and a growing appreciation for a new design language. At the same time, it represented a considerable entrepreneurial risk, as Gio Ponti himself pointed out in the foreword to a Stilnovo catalogue. Nevertheless, Stilnovo quickly distinguished itself through a modern, forward-looking vision.

Unlike many competitors, Bruno Gatta understood early on the importance of marketing and public relations. From the start, he consistently placed advertisements in leading magazines such as Domus, Stile, and Casa e Turismo Arredamento, rapidly establishing a high level of brand recognition for Stilnovo. This strategic visibility, combined with strong design identity, helped position Stilnovo as a leading name in modern Italian lighting. Bruno Gatta was also the founder of Stilux, another famous Italian lighting company. More information can be found here.

In 1963, Bruno Gatta ’s children, Silvana and Dino Gatta, officially joined the company and were granted powers of procuration (legal signing authority). The book does not describe a specific creative or “head of design” role for Dino Gatta; his presence is documented as part of the company’s management structure.

By the late 1960s, despite ongoing commercial activity, Stilnovo faced increasing competition from firms such as Artemide, Flos, and Kartell, and the company’s identity became less sharply defined than in its early years. This period triggered a renewed push toward more progressive designs and material experimentation through collaborations with leading designers.

A milestone of that renewed phase is this Periscopio floor lamp, which was exhibited in 1972 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of the landmark exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape.

Gaetano Sciolari and Stilnovo

During the 1950s and into the 1960s, Gaetano Sciolari played a central role in shaping Stilnovo ’s design identity. He acted as head designer and artistic coordinator, defining much of the company’s visual language during its formative years. Sciolari ’s work for Stilnovo is characterized by elegant proportions, refined use of brass and metal, and a strong architectural clarity. Under his direction, Stilnovo established a recognizable modern aesthetic that laid the foundation for the company’s international reputation in the decades that followed.

Over the decades, Stilnovo collaborated with a remarkable number of influential designers, including Gaetano Sciolari, Joe Colombo, Gae Aulenti, Alberto Fraser, Valentino Benati, Vittorio Introini, Ettore Sottsass, Danilo & Corrado Aroldi, Giorgio Longoni, Marcello Pietrantoni, Roberto Lucci, Cini Boeri, Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Piero Castellini, Carlo Villigiardi, Peter De Bruyne, Angelo Mangiarotti, Marcello Cuneo, Valentino Benati, Gianluigi Gorgoni, Paolo Lomazzi, Antonio Macchi Cassia, and Roberto Beretta, among others. Together, they produced a body of work that remains highly regarded for its technical innovation, formal clarity, and expressive use of materials.

For a substantial part of Stilnovo ’s early production, individual designers remain undocumented. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many lamps were developed internally and presented solely under the Stilnovo name, without attribution to a specific designer. This reflects a common practice of the time, in which collective design processes and brand identity were emphasized over individual authorship, making precise attributions difficult or impossible today.

All original Stilnovo lamps are marked with the Stilnovo name; many early pieces also include the original sticker “Stilnovo Milan ”.

Stilnovo also collaborated with brands such as Metalarte from Spain, AMBA from Switzerland and Staff from Germany.

The company ended business in 1988.