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.
$1,500Sale Price|20% Off
Gio Ponti The Complete Work 1923 - 1978 1st Edition Hard Cover Book
By Gio Ponti
Located in University City, MO
Gio Ponti The Complete Work 1923 - 1978 1st Edition Hard Cover Book This is the first complete survey and thematic profile of one of the most prolific and accomplished Italian arch...
$161Sale Price|20% Off
2010s Dior Accessories Insider Catalog Lookbook on Binder
By Christian Dior
Located in London, GB
2010s Dior Accessories Insider catalog lookbook on binder, 56 pages, English Language, UK edition on thick white paper full colour Measurements: 24x15x2.5cm Condition details: 20...
JANSEN Design Coffee Table Book Signed by Author, 2006
Located in Atlanta, GA
Jansen is a name synonymous with high style and chic interiors. It was a design house established in 1880's Paris by a Dutch entrepreneur, Jean-Henri Jansen. By the 20th Century, Jan...
The Story of Jewelry 1st ED. 1973 by J. Anderson Hardcover Book
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
The Story of Jewelry 1973 by J. Anderson. Introduction by Edward Lucie-Smith Black Hardcover Book. Translate from Italian. J. Anderson Black - Storia dei gioielli English text. Documents jewelry's history from the primitive ornaments of prehistoric times to the abstract simplicity of modern design. This book offers a unique way of exploring the world of vintage jewelry for experts, newcomers, and anyone with an interest in the topic. Every piece of jewelry tells a story. Each chapter is centered around a particular piece of jewelry and the way in which it is emblematic: a previous owner, an exemplary design or dominant material. From an array of historic pieces...
$576Sale Price|25% Off
Harper's Bazar Thanksgiving 1894 Original issue NY MET Museum Artefact 354990
Located in London, GB
An original copy of Harper's Bazar, Thanksgiving 1894, with a cover designed by Louis John Rhead (1857–1926) — one of the most prominent poster artists working in America during the Art Nouveau period. In the early 1890s, Rhead became a leading figure in the American poster craze, heavily influenced by the Swiss artist Eugène Grasset. His work appeared regularly across the Harper's publishing house titles, and an exhibition of his posters was organised by the Salon des Cent in Paris. Three of his designs were published in Les Maîtres de l'Affiche. In 1895 he won the Gold Medal for Best American Poster Design at the first International Poster Show in Boston. Artvee CURATOR'S NOTE: The cover is one of the most visually complete examples of American Art Nouveau magazine design from the period. A red-haired female figure in a patterned dark dress holds a bowl of fruit beneath an orange grove; the background combines sinuous Japanese-inflected water forms with stylised corn and foliage. The palette — deep green, terracotta orange, slate lavender, and cream — is printed in full colour lithography, unusual for a magazine cover of this date and a direct reflection of the period's enthusiasm for the poster as art object. The design in poster format is held in the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Object Number 1984.1202.149), executed in lithograph and relief, sheet measuring 40.8 × 28.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Publisher: Harper & Brothers, New York Date: Thanksgiving 1894 Cover artist: Louis John Rhead (1857–1926) Format: Original magazine issue Title: Harper's Bazar, November, Thanksgiving Artist: Louis John Rhead (American (born England), Etruria 1857–1926 Amityville, New York) Publisher: Harper's Date: 1894 Medium: Lithograph and relief Dimensions: Mount: 19 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. (48.9 x 36.2 cm) Sheet: 16 1/16 × 11 1/4 in. (40.8 × 28.6 cm) Classification: Prints Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 1984 Condition: 1894, antique...
Vintage Vogue Magazine : August 1959, John Rawlings Cover
By Vogue
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vogue Magazine August 1st, 1959 A wonderful issue with lots of beautiful photos and interesting articles! Features include: • When to Wear White • Ten Pages of New Fashion Answe...
Over The Top: Helena Rubinstein Coffee Table Book, 2006
Located in Atlanta, GA
Over The Top: Helena Rubinstein, Extraordinary Style, Beauty, Art, Fashion, Design published in 2006 and written by Suzanne Slesin chronicles the life and extraordinary times of a trailblazer in the cosmetics industry. Not only was Helena Rubinstein (1872-1965) a savvy and successful entrepreneur, but she was also a stylemaker with unique taste for both personal adornment and decor. Her art collection included ground breaking modernists of the time ... Picasso, Dali, Matisse, Brancusi ... just to name a few. She was also fascinated with African art and incorporated carvings and masks into her Art Deco decors. This hardbound 216 page volume recounts her history, both business and personal, with beautiful images and informative text. Original dust jacket included. As Ms. Rubinstein would say, 'There are no ugly...
$69
H 12 in W 12 in D 1 in
Louis Comfort Tiffany Masterworks Hardcover Book by Bedoyere D. E. La Camilla
By Louis Comfort Tiffany
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Louis Comfort Tiffany Masterworks Hardcover Book by Bedoyere D. E. La Camilla. Louis Comfort Tiffany was highly skilled in jewellery design, as well as ceramics, enamels, and metalwo...
1994 Vogue Paris Special Edition The Legendary Cinema Magazine Issue
By Vogue
Located in London, GB
One of the most important and collectible French Vogue editions ever published. The Issue that Celebrated 100 Years of Cinema —and Defined an Era of Supermodel Glamour Published in ...
$183Sale Price|20% Off
1977 British VOGUE Magazine by Barry Lategan at Golden Bay
By Vogue
Located in London, GB
1977 VOGUE November, Number 8, Volume 134, 220 pages, in colour and black/white, Doubled cover On Cover: "Flattery, photograph by Barry Lategan taken at Golden Bay, Malta, via Air M...
Karl Lagerfeld Chanel's Russian Connection Book by Karl Lagerfeld
By Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Karl Lagerfeld: Chanel's Russian Connection. Paperback Book by Karl Lagerfeld. Russian Connection is Karl Lagerfeld exploration of all things Russian. The book presents photos by La...
Costume Close-up: Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750-1790
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Costume Close-up: Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790 by Linda Baumgarten, John Watson, Florine Carr. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1999 - Crafts & Hobbies - 120 pages. ...
Cartier 2008 Hardcover Jewelry Book by Francois Chaille, Unisex, Red
By Cartier
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Cartier Hardcover by Francois Chaille 2008. Cartier Red Jewelry Book English Edition Hardcover Small Book. 80 pages and 6" x 8.5". In good condition showing only minor wear on cover....
Gio Ponti : Arch - Designer Large Scale Hardcover Book c 2019
By Gio Ponti
Located in University City, MO
Gio Ponti: Archi - Design Large scale hardcover book c 2019 The prolific architect, designer & Domus editor reinvented the look of everyday life from the spoon to the cathedral. He ...
Gio Ponti Coffee Table Book by Ugo La Pietra, 1996
By Gio Ponti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Beautifully published 1996 book entitled, Gio Ponti, by Ugo La Pietra. The book is 406 pages filled with photographs, drawings and text surveying Ponti's works including architecture...
Gio Ponti Coffee Table Book, 1990
By Gio Ponti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Beautifully published 1990 book entitled, Gio Ponti The Complete Work 1923-1978, by his daughter and oft time collaborator, Lisa Licitra Ponti. The book is 288 pages filled with phot...