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Gio Ponti

Italian, 1891-1979

An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.

Ponti designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, mirrors and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. Through Domus, the magazine he founded in 1928, Ponti brought attention to virtually every significant movement and creator in the spheres of modern art and design.

The questing intelligence Ponti brought to Domus is reflected in his work: as protean as he was prolific, Ponti’s style can’t be pegged to a specific genre.

In the 1920s, as artistic director for the Tuscan porcelain maker Richard Ginori, he fused old and new; his ceramic forms were modern, but decorated with motifs from Roman antiquity. In pre-war Italy, modernist design was encouraged, and after the conflict, Ponti — along with designers such as Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini, Marco Zanuso — found a receptive audience for their novel, idiosyncratic work. Ponti’s typical furniture forms from the period, such as the wedge-shaped Distex chair, are simple, gently angular, and colorful; equally elegant and functional. In the 1960s and ’70s, Ponti’s style evolved again as he explored biomorphic shapes, and embraced the expressive, experimental designs of Ettore Sottsass Jr., Joe Colombo and others.

Ponti's signature furniture piece — the one by which he is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Germany’s Vitra Design Museum and elsewhere — is the sleek Superleggera chair, produced by Cassina starting in 1957. (The name translates as “superlightweight” — advertisements featured a model lifting it with one finger.)

Ponti had a playful side, best shown in a collaboration he began in the late 1940s with the graphic artist Piero Fornasetti. Ponti furnishings were decorated with bright finishes and Fornasetti's whimsical lithographic transfer prints of things such as butterflies, birds or flowers; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts possesses a 1950 secretary from their Architetturra series, which feature case pieces covered in images of building interiors and facades. The grandest project Ponti and Fornasetti undertook, however, lies on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean: the interiors of the luxury liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.

Widely praised retrospectives at the Queens Museum of Art in 2001 and at the Design Museum London in 2002 sparked a renewed interest in Ponti among modern design aficionados. (Marco Romanelli’s monograph, which was written for the London show, offers a fine overview of Ponti’s work.) Today, a wide array of Ponti’s designs are snapped up by savvy collectors who want to give their homes a touch of Italian panache and effortless chic.

Find a range of vintage Gio Ponti desks, dining chairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$3,698
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Gio Ponti
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Gio Ponti Leggera
Gio Ponti Leggera
Gio Ponti Superleggera
Gio Ponti Superleggera
Bilia Lamp
Bilia Lamp
Pirellone Floor Lamp
Pirellone Floor Lamp
Rare Pair of Armchairs Designed by Gio Ponti 1950s Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Rovereta, SM
Rare and sophisticated pair of armchairs mid-century Italian from an important villa in Bologna. Designed by Gio Ponti, boucle and wood, 1950s The wood was polished by our restor...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Gio Ponti Mirror
By Gio Ponti
Located in MADRID, ES
Original mirror by Gio Ponti with bronze frame and solid wood back. Giovanni Ponti, better known as Gio Ponti (Milan, 18 November 1891 - idem, 16 September 1979) was one of the mos...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Bronze

Gio Ponti Mirror
Gio Ponti Mirror
H 50.01 in W 25.2 in D 1.19 in
Gio Ponti Ultraleggera Chairs
By Gio Ponti
Located in MADRID, ES
Gio Ponti designed this chair in the 1950s, commissioned by Cassina, a company that has been producing it continuously ever since. Fifty-seven years after its commercialisation, it ...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Rattan, Wood

Gio Ponti Ultraleggera Chairs
Gio Ponti Ultraleggera Chairs
H 36.62 in W 16.15 in D 16.15 in
Striped ‘A Canne’ Glass Carafe by Gio Ponti for Venini
By Gio Ponti, Venini
Located in Chicago, IL
Small, striped glass carafe by Gio Ponti for Venini. This is an ‘A Canne’ or caned glass carafe or pitcher. It was produced in Italy at the Venini glass factory. In 1921 Venini and ...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Gio Ponti 'Bilia' Table Lamp in Brass for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Gio Ponti
Located in Glendale, CA
Gio Ponti 'Bilia' table lamp in brass for Fontana Arte. Executed in a brushed brass metal frame with a mouth blown white glass diffuser, transparent cord with dimmer and plug. One of...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Gio Ponti

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti, rare pair of Wingback Armchairs for ISA, Italy, 1950s (customizable)
By Gio Ponti
Located in Argelato, BO
Gio Ponti, Rare pair of Bergere Armchairs for Isa Bergamo, Italy, 1950s A very rare pair of Gio Ponti armchairs, retaining their original green velvet, ISA Bergamo, Italy, 1950s. Th...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Wood, Plywood

Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
By Gio Ponti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gio Ponti sofa, Pierre Frey fabric and walnut, Italy, 1960s Stunning sofa by Gio Ponti. This particular sofa breathes the luxurious feel of well-balanced Italian furniture designs o...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Metal

Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
Rare Gio Ponti Sofa
H 31.5 in W 85.44 in D 76.78 in
Pair of Armchair Gio Ponti Casa e Giardino, 1930s Full Restoration by Greenapple
By Gio Ponti, Casa e Giardino, Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Collectible Vintage Italian armchair designed by Gio Ponti for the Casa e Giardino manufacturing company in the late 1930s. This iconic design piece has been completely restored fro...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gio Ponti

Materials

Oak

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Creators Similar to Gio Ponti

More Gio Ponti Designs
Gio Ponti Leggera
Gio Ponti Leggera
Average Price
$8,276
Number Available
32
Gio Ponti Leggera
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Wood, Fabric, Hardwood, Ash
Styles
Mid Century Modern
The Leggera chair is as striking on its own as it is in any setting, which is just as Giò Ponti (1891–1979) intended.  The gifted Milanese architect — who also designed, taught and wrote — studied architecture at the esteemed Polytechnic University of Milan, graduating in 1921. A stint in an architectural office followed, as did award-winning porcelain designs for Richard Ginori. In 1928, Ponti launched the revered design journal Domus, promoting the Novocento movement, which decried the “fa...
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Gio Ponti Superleggera
Gio Ponti Superleggera
Average Price
$15,488
Number Available
26
Gio Ponti Superleggera
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Metal, Brass, Glass, Wood, Natural Fiber
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Bilia Lamp
Bilia Lamp
Average Price
$3,295
Number Available
4
Bilia Lamp
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Glass, Metal
Styles
Mid Century Modern, Modern
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Pirellone Floor Lamp
Pirellone Floor Lamp
Average Price
$2,902
Number Available
1
Pirellone Floor Lamp
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Glass
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Gio Ponti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Gio Ponti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gio Ponti furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 567 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 129 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Gio Ponti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Mario Bellini, and Osvaldo Borsani. Prices for Gio Ponti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $83 and can go as high as $88,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,193.

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