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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
$4,005
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
Set of Gio Ponti Reed & Barton "Diamond" Sterling Silverware
By Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Set of sterling silver flatware, designed by Gio Ponti for Reed and Barton, in the diamond pattern. A total of 18 place settings are a...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Sterling Silver

Pair of Gio Ponti Wardrobe Doors from the Hotel Royal, Naples, 1955
By Giordano Chiesa, Gio Ponti
Located in Rome, IT
Rare pair of Gio Ponti wardrobe doors, 1955 from the furniture of the Hotel Royal, Naples manufactured by Giordano Chiesa and produced by Dassi Lissone 2 mirrors on the verso walnut,...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Brass

1960s Gio Ponti Silver Bowl for Krupp Milano
By Gio Ponti, Arthur Krupp
Located in Florence, Tuscany
A silver bowl designed by Gio Ponti in the 1960s for Arthur Krupp Milano. Stamped Krupp Milano on the base, this iconic design piece is in very good condition with a beautiful patina...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Metal, Silver

Large 1960s Gio Ponti Silver Bowl for Krupp Milano
By Gio Ponti, Arthur Krupp
Located in Florence, Tuscany
A very large silver bowl designed by Gio Ponti in the 1960s for Arthur Krupp Milano. Stamped Krupp Milano on the base, this iconic design piece is in very good condition with a beaut...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Metal, Silver

Gio Ponti “Luminator” Floor Lamp for Pollice, 1940
By Gio Ponti
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gio Ponti “Luminator” floor lamp for Pollice, wood and brass, Italy, 1940. The "Luminator" floor lamp by Gio Ponti, crafted for Pollice, boasts a fusion of wood and brass, exemplifying timeless elegance. The structure is made of a classy grissinato wooden decoration adorned with brass ring inserts and a base. The monumental lampshade is also made of brass and has a cup shape that reminds the ancient Greek pots...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti Writing Desk for Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), 1954
By Gio Ponti
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gio Ponti writing desk for Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), walnut and brass, Italy, 1954. Embrace the legacy of Gio Ponti, a visionary of mid-century design who bridged tradition ...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Brass

Gio Ponti briarwood corner cabinet, with certified
By Gio Ponti
Located in Milano, IT
"Gio Ponti's masterpiece: A magnificent corner cabinet in walnut burl with bronze accents." This extraordinary corner cabinet, designed by the famous Gio Ponti, is a beautiful eleme...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gio Ponti

Materials

Wood

Venini Signed Murano Glass Bottle by Gio Ponti with Original Stopper, Italy 1997
By Gio Ponti, Paolo Venini
Located in London, GB
A beautiful ‘a canne’ Murano blue art glass bottle designed by Gio Ponti and made by Venini in Murano, Venice, Italy in 1997. The original design for this piece is by Gio Ponti a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gio Ponti

Materials

Art Glass

Browse all Furniture from Gio Ponti
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Creators Similar to Gio Ponti

More Gio Ponti Designs
Gio Ponti Leggera
Gio Ponti Leggera
Average Price
$8,522
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
$16,497
Number Available
21
Gio Ponti Superleggera
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Brass, Glass, Metal, Wood
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Bilia Lamp
Bilia Lamp
Average Price
$994
Number Available
19
Bilia Lamp
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Glass, Metal, Opaline Glass, Paint
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Pirellone Floor Lamp
Pirellone Floor Lamp
Average Price
$2,476
Number Available
2
Pirellone Floor Lamp
By Gio Ponti
Materials
Glass, Brass, Metal, Nickel
Styles
Mid Century Modern, Post 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.
Questions About Gio Ponti
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025
    Gio Ponti was famous for his work as an architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor. He 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. On 1stDibs, explore a collection of Gio Ponti furniture.

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