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Gio Ponti Furniture

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.

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Period: 1940s
Creator: Gio Ponti
Rare Gio Ponti Writing Desk in Walnut and Grissinato Mahogany
By Gio Ponti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gio Ponti, writing desk, walnut, mahogany, glass, Italy, 1940s This writing table, a rare find designed by Gio Ponti, originates from the 1940s. The design is truly magnificent, fea...
Category

1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Glass, Mahogany, Walnut

Midcentury Fontana Arte chandelier by Gio Ponti, Italy 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Fontana Arte
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Stunning chandelier designed by Gio Ponti for Fontana Arte This suspension lamp, manufactured by Fontana Arte, features a transparent glass disc with metal and brass details Origin...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti curved sofa by Casa e Giardino, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Casa e Giardino
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A rare and beautiful curved sofa with a wooden frame and fabric upholstery, designed by Gio Ponti for "Casa e Giardino", manufactured in Italy in the 1940s. In Gio Ponti's ideal hom...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Walnut

GIo Ponti "grissinato" bar cabinet made of oak, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Bar cabinet with shelves and doors in oak wood, Italian craftsmanship from the 1940s, designed by Gio Ponti. This oak furniture, a perfect ad...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti for Luigi Fontana Brass Wall Mirror with Scroll Motif, circa 1940
By Gio Ponti, Fontana Arte
Located in New York, NY
Gio Ponti etched brass wall mirror with scroll decoration, for Luigi Fontana, circa, 1940 A grand scale brass shaped mirror with delicate etched petal design motif which follows the ...
Category

1940s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Italian Art Deco wooden sideboard with six drawers by Gio Ponti, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Art Deco wooden sideboard with six drawers by Gio Ponti, 1940s Sideboard with rectangular wooden top. It has six striped wood drawers with each a hole with a turned wooden f...
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1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Italian Art Deco wooden sideboard with four doors by Gio Ponti, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Art Deco wooden sideboard with four doors by Gio Ponti, 1940s Sideboard with rectangular wooden top. It has four striped wood doors, each with a hole with a turned wooden fr...
Category

1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti's ship's side table for the liner Bianca Mano, published
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
Imagine stepping onto the luxurious transatlantic liner, the Bianca Mano, in the 1950s. As you wander through its opulent interiors, your eyes are drawn to a stunning piece of furnit...
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Round TABLE in the style of Gio Ponti
By Gio Ponti
Located in Bastia Umbra, IT
BEAUTIFUL round coffee table in the Gio Ponti style, Year 1940. This round two-top coffee table is made of beech and glass. The glass is original and has patterns. The price of sh...
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Glass, Beech

Gio Ponti 546 Table Lamp in Aluminum and Opaline Glass by Ugo Pollice 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Pollice Illuminazione
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Table lamp or desk lamp model 546 with lampshade in lacquered aluminum, stem in chromed brass, base in lacquered cast-iron, and opaline glass diffuser. This lamp was designed by Gio Ponti and manufactured by Ugo Pollice Illuminazione during the 1940s. Gio Ponti was an icon of the modernist movement: the Italian designer, architect, artist and publisher contributed significantly to the worlds of architecture and design with his extensive work in Fine furniture and ceramics, education, office and residential buildings, and everything in between. Gio Ponti was born in 1891 in Milan. It was there that he spent his childhood, and in 1921 he began to study architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. From 1923 to 1930 he served as the artistic director of the Richard-Ginori porcelain factory. In 1927, Ponti started his first architectural office, together with Emilio Lancia, and in 1928 he started the magazine Domus, which is still regarded as one of the most influential European magazines for architecture and design. He was also very influential during the period as a curator of the Milan Triennale. After his collaboration with Emilio Lancia had come to an end, upon completion of the Torre Rasini, he began to work as an architect together with the engineers Antonio Fornaroli and Eugenio Soncini...
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Brass, Iron

Gio Ponti Set of Four Painted and Gilded Iron Armchairs, 1948
By Casa e Giardino, Gio Ponti
Located in Milan, IT
Gio Ponti set of four painted and gilded Iron armchairs 1948.
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Iron

Gio Ponti, Exceptional Pair of Rare Wingback Armchairs in Walnut, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Gio Ponti (1891 - 1979) A rare and extraordinary pair of wingback armchairs by modernist master Gio Ponti, in polished walnut with white bouclé upholstery. The chairs' striking fili...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Bouclé, Walnut

Gio Ponti for Ugo Pollice Model 546 Table Lamp, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gio Ponti Table lamp in chrome and black shade model 546. This lamp was designed by Gio Ponti and manufactured by Ugo Pollice Illuminazione during the 1940s. Gio Ponti was an icon...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Gio Ponti for Ugo Pollice Model 546 Table Lamp, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Ugo Pollice
Located in Naples, IT
Table lamp in chromed metal, aluminum and sandblasted glass by Gio Ponti for Ugo Pollice 1950s. Good vintage condition, defect on lampshade visible in photo.  
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Cocktail Table by Gio Ponti
By Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Low hourglass table by Gio Ponti with original green glass top. Made in Milan circa 1940s. Includes a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Po...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Oak, Glass

Rare Custom Console by Gio Ponti
By Giordano Chiesa, Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Ash wood with brass feet. Probably produced by Giordano Chiesa. A rare, custom Gio Ponti design with two large drawers, narrow, tapering legs, & b...
Category

1940s Italian Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti Writing Desk in Walnut and Brass for the BNL Offices, Italy 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Schirolli
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A rare and collectable walnut desk with brass ferrules designed by Gio Ponti and produced by Schirolli (Mantova - Italy) in the 1940s for the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL - Nation...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Set of 2 Armchairs and a Sofa in the style Gio Ponti for Casa E Giardino, 1940s
By Gio Ponti, Casa e Giardino
Located in taranto, IT
Rare splendid 40s living room, made in the style of Casa & Giardino by Gio Ponti, consisting of a two-seater sofa and a pair of armchairs, wooden structure and upholstery in Cintz c...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti Dining Table in Veneered Walnut, Italy 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Hellouw, NL
Amazing dining table by Gio Ponti from the early 1940s, Italy. It has a rectangular top in veneered Italian walnut with underneath four tapered fluted legs. A similar striking fluted...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Wood, Walnut

Original "Leggera" Chair, Design Gio Ponti for Cassina, 1949
By Gio Ponti, Cassina
Located in taranto, IT
Splendid Cassina chair model " leggera" Gio Ponti design ,first version with upholstered seat, forerunner of the model "superleggera "arrived only a few years later, with the adoptio...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood, Ash

Gio Ponti & Pietro Chiesa Side Table Set 2 by Fontana Arte
By Gio Ponti, Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa
Located in Milano, MI
Rare pair of side tables by Gio Ponti & Pietro Chiesa produced by Fontana Arte. Petite pair of tables with compass legs and angled mirror tops. Wood h...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Wood

20th Century Gio Ponti Sofa Unique Piece Designed for Casa Lucano, Early 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Turin, Turin
The two-seater upholstered sofa was designed by Gio Ponti for Casa Lucano, in Sanremo (Italy). The design recalls a very similar sofa that was part of the Cellina furniture published...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Fontana Arte “Gio’ Ponti “ Chandelier Brass Glass Opaline Glass Aluminium 1940IT
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Gio’ Ponti chandelier brass glass opaline glass aluminium 1940 IT.
Category

1940s Italian Other Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti Richard Ginori Vase Ceramic Gold Red, 1940, Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
Gio Ponti Richard Ginori vase ceramic gold red 1940 Italy.
Category

1940s Italian Other Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Gio’ Ponti Chandelier Brass Murano Pulegoso Glass, 1940, Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
Exceptional Gio’ Ponti chandelier brass murano Pulegoso glass 1940 Italy.
Category

1940s Italian Other Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Murano Glass

Gio Ponti by Calderoni Italian Design Alpacca Metal Serving Coffee Set
By Gio Ponti, Calderoni
Located in Brescia, IT
Gio Ponti "Parco Dei Principi Hotel" series by Calderoni, 1940s. Silver alpacca metal excellent condiction. Measures: H 15, H 13, H 12.  
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Murano Multicolored Chandelier by Gio Ponti for Venini
By Gio Ponti, Venini
Located in New York, NY
Murano multicolored chandelier by Gio Ponti for Venini. Murano, colorful glass, with gold flecks and brass trim.    
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Brass

Set of Two Wood Single Beds by Gio Ponti, Italy, 1940s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milan, IT
Set of two single beds by Gio Ponti. Sold with a certificate of expertise from the Gio Ponti Archives.
Category

1940s Italian Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Rare Gio Ponti Administrative Desk
By Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gio Ponti desk designed in limited edition for city offices of Forlì, Italy. Original red Formica writing surface on European beechwood with 8 floating drawers. Brass base on legs. ...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Formica, Beech

Gio Ponti Grid Pattern Coffee Table circa 1945-1948
By Gio Ponti
Located in Encino, CA
Exceptional and spectacular round grid pattern coffee table by Gio Ponti for Giordano Chiesa. Multiple fruit woods base with a glass top. Italy, circa 1945-1948. Literature: Arredame...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti Furniture

Materials

Glass, Fruitwood

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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