Pair of Blu Velvet Gio Ponti Bergere Wingback Armchairs by ISA, 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Arredamenti ISA (Cabinetmaker),Gio Ponti (Author)
- Dimensions:Height: 42.92 in (109 cm)Width: 30.71 in (78 cm)Depth: 34.26 in (87 cm)Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Rome, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU950030407972
Gio Ponti
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Rome, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- pair of green velvet Paolo Buffa armchairs, 1950By Paolo BuffaLocated in Rome, ITpair of rare green wing back armchairs by Paolo Buffa circa 1959 directly from the original forniture of the Hotel Bristol, Merano re-upholstery in green velvet and mint velvet cor...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- pair of Gio Ponti velvet bicolor white and yellow armchairs, Casa Giardino 1940By Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITImportant and large pair of armchairs designed by Gio Ponti, 1940's production "Casa & Giardino." Curved back, wooden frame, conic wooden feet Re-upholstered in ivory and yellow go...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Gio Ponti Set of 3 High TureensBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITGio Ponti set of 3 high tureen with cup from the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome;stamped with logo PDP;produced By Calderoni Argenterie. Sold with a letter of authenticity of Lisa...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
- Gio Ponti Set Of Two Lidded ServersBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITGio Ponti set of two lidded servers with cup;from the Hotel Parco dei Pricnipi in Roma in alpacca by CalederonI Argenteria; stamped with logo PDP. Sold with a letter of authenticity...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
- Gio Ponti Set Of Alpacca Sauce ServersBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITSet of three GIO PONTI sauce servers from hotel Parco dei Principi,Rome; alpacca by Calderoni Argenteria,stamped logo PDP and Calderoni. Sold with a letter of authenticity of Lisa L...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
- Gio Ponti Set Coffe ServiceBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITA Gio Ponti set of coffe and tea service from the Hotel Parco dei Principi In Roma ; six pieces; in alpacca by Calderoni Argenteria stamped logo PDP. Sold with a letter of authenti...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sheffield and Silverplate
- Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet Armchairs, 1950s, PairBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaElegant and splendid pair of Mid-Century Modern Bergere Armchairs, attributed to Gio Ponti, 1950 for ISA Editions, Bergamo. The armchairs have a new light ivory velvet upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Pair of Vintage Armchairs in Gio Ponti StyleBy Gio PontiLocated in Sag Harbor, NYThese handsome upholstered vintage Italian chairs have tight backs and loose seat cushions and are newly re-covered in a textured grey linen fabric. The splayed arm details, notched...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLinen, Walnut
- Pair of Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet "Alata" Lounge Chairs, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Puglia, PugliaPair of bergère armchairs, Alata Mod. 820 armchairs, designed by Gio Ponti for the Royal Hotel in Naples and produced by Cassina, Italy, 1950. Completely restored and recently uphols...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Gio Ponti, rare pair of Wingback Armchairs for ISA, Italy, 1950s (customizable)By Gio PontiLocated in Argelato, BOGio 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
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Plywood
- Pair of Velvet Bergère Chairs, 1950sLocated in Paris, FRPair of imposing ocher velvet bergère chairs manufactured in the 1950s, with gilt metal arched legs. The shepherdess is a large, comfortable armchair whose solid sides go up to the b...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bergere Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Italian Wingback Armchair in Red Velvet by Gio Ponti, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Antwerp, BEItalian wingback armchair in red upholstery by Gio Ponti. Gio Ponti high-back lounge chair with a slightly titled backrest that supports the seating posture, making them very comfort...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Barnaba Fornasetti’s Hallucinatory House Has His Father’s Spirit
Behind a nondescript facade in northeastern Milan is the magical residence of Barnaba Fornasetti. It's a shrine to the style developed by his design-legend father, which still defies categorization.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.