Biagio

For fifty years, Flos has been creating objects of light and igniting generations of dreams. Founded in Merano in 1962 by Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina, it had a period of strong growth starting in the 1970s: it acquired Arteluce, a historic Italian lighting company, inheriting the designs of Gino Sarfatti, still produced today. In the following decades it absorbed other companies and increasingly expanded the already very rich portfolio of designer lamps. The principles of Flos have always been to identify with the masters of design, to discover new talents, to have technical and technological authority and to integrate into mass culture. Flos has always been a cutting-edge company: experimentation has made it possible to adopt revolutionary materials, such as the cocoon in the past, and more advanced technological solutions, represented today by OLED and sustainable materials.

Tobia Scarpa, son of the architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice in 1935. He studied at the IUAV, where he met Afra Bianchin, with whom he would share his life and career. After a short period at the Venini glassworks, the two opened their studio in Montebelluna and began a prolific collaboration with companies such as Cassina, Flos and B&B Italia. Among their most famous projects are the Pigreco chair, the Poltroncina 925 exhibited at the MoMa, the Libertà chair at the Louvre and the Soriana armchair, winner of the Compasso d'Oro in 1970. In addition to design, Scarpa dedicated himself to architecture, creating villas, palaces and industrial plants, including the first Benetton factory. In 2008 he received the Compasso d'Oro for lifetime achievement.