Biography

Angelo Lelli, Italy (1911-1979)

Angelo Lelli was an Italian designer and entrepreneur, an influential and active participant in Italy’s booming post-war design scene.

Angelo Lelli began designing light fixtures in his basement before the war. His first success came in 1946 when three of his designs were published in the pages of Domus magazine, which promoted Italian designers and architects belonging to the functionalist movement.

The following year, in 1947, Angelo Lelli founded the visionary lighting company Arredoluce in Manza, Italy. As director and designer, he played a key role in spreading Italian design internationally. Through Arredoluce, Angelo Lelli was responsible for producing hundreds of artful light fixtures, which are now highly sought after on the vintage market. Along with his contemporaries Gino Sarfati of Arteluce and Giuseppe Ostuni of Oluce, he is considered a leading figure of the modern era. Arreduce continued to produce lighting fixtures until its closure in 1979.