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.
Large Original Drawing by Gio Ponti, 1952, Created for Touring Carrozzeria Milan
By Gio Ponti
Located in Dronten, NL
This large original drawing from 1952 highlights the creative brilliance of Gio Ponti, one of the most important figures in 20th-century design and architecture. Ponti’s hand is imme...
Paper
Gio Ponti Painting "I Gemelli"
By Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Gio Ponti painting "I Gemelli", 1970, Italy. A colorful portrayal by Gio Ponti. Acrylic on Prespex (Plexiglas) singed by Gio Ponti on the front, while the paint work is reversed pain...
Acrylic, Plexiglass
Gio Ponti Painting "Donna Con Cappellino"
By Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Gio Ponti painting "Donna Con Cappellino" 1972, Italy. A colorful portrayal by Gio Ponti. Acrylic on Prespex (Plexiglas) singed by Gio Ponti on the front, while the paint work is rev...
Acrylic, Plexiglass
Large Gio Ponti Study for Window at Shui-Hing Department Store, Singapore, 1978
By Gio Ponti
Located in Kansas City, MO
Reverse hand-painted Plexiglass in a light-box frame five inches deep. 102.5 inches tall and 48 inches wide. Sold with a certificate of expertise from the Gio Ponti Archives. Provenance: Collection of the artist Collection of Rossella Colombari...
Plexiglass, Wood
$95
H 11.25 in W 10 in D 0.75 in
Gardens for the Soul Hardcover Table Book Pamela Woods Feng Shui Gardens
By Rizoli International Publications
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Gardens for the Soul Hardcover Table Book. Large coffee table book by Pamela Woods Rizoli International, 2002 - 1st Edition. Feng shui gardens - 160 pages Pamela Woods' approach to garden design teaches you how to create a garden that reflects your spiritual beliefs and inner emotions. She invokes the power and beauty of ancient symbols such as Celtic wheels and spirals with Eastern practices such as feng shui to create gardens that are relaxing, meditative and, above all, beautiful. This book contains discussions about what makes a garden spiritual and how to analyse and channel energies in the garden. It also looks at ancient symbols and systems, such as the Tree of Life, the Medicine Wheel, spirals and labyrinths, and shows how to incorporate them into your own outdoor space Gardens for the Soul shows how a sustainable and eco-friendly ethos can be at the heart of creating a beautiful garden, whatever its location or size. Title Gardens for the Soul Author Pamela Woods Photographs by John Glover...
Paper
Original Model Drawing by André Courrèges for Diana Vreeland
By André Courrèges
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Wonderful historical pen and ink illustration on board by Courrèges of his models done for and notated to Diana Vreeland. Great piece of fashion history. Framed in an original plexig...
Paper
Framed Surrealistic Drawing by Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist: Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, 1936-) Title:Le Tombeau D'Hemingway Year: 1963 Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper: Size: 14 3/4 x 19 1/2 plus 3 inch frame Mark: upper lef...
Paper
Large French Original Oil Painting, Signed Harbor Scene, 1978
Located in COLMAR, FR
A stunning piece of original, vintage art. Despite its' seemingly Scandinavian influence, this oil painting on hardboard is actually French. It is dated 1978 and signed by artist, R....
Paint
Gio Ponti & Paolo de Poli Il Sole Enameled Copper 1956 Padova
By Paolo De Poli, Gio Ponti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Il Sole enameled copper original idea by Gio Ponti produced in 1956 by Paolo de Poli, Padova. With signature, date, and original label on the back. Lictera...
Copper
Large 4x5 Vintage Abstract Painting on Canvas, 1978
By Mark Rothko
Located in Oxnard, CA
Here is a stunning and large abstract painting on canvas from 1978. Similar to works by the famed American artist, Mark Rothko, the blue and orange abstractions have an ethereal qua...
Canvas, Paint
Headdress Painting
Located in Paris, FR
Painting headdress acrylic paint on canvas, unique piece painted by Olivia Fournier.
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,200
H 11 in W 9.5 in D 0.1 in
"Ice Skating, " Fabulous, High Style Art Deco Painting for B. Altman Dept. Store
Located in Philadelphia, PA
One of the finest examples of illustration art and Art Deco painting we have ever offered, this elegant and sophisticated view of New Yorkers skating arm in arm on a frozen pond or l...
Paint
French Drawing in Pen and Gouache by André Arbus, Paris, 1938
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Gouache and pen work by André Arbus (1903-1969). Signed Andre Arbus. Origin: Drawing of dining table by Andre Arbus for the apartment of Mme Pedersen, Paris, 1938. Literature:...
Two Large Ornithological Studies Birds
Located in Cheshire, GB
After John J Audubon, two large ornithological studies comprising: “Summer or Wood Duck” and “Pileated Woodpecker, encased in ebonies frames. Dim...
Paint
$16,802Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 0.79 in Dm 10.44 in
Rare Unica Collection Dishes Gio Ponti Franco Pozzi 1960 27 Pieces Multicolor
By Gio Ponti
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Very rare collection of 27 pieces produced by Franco Pozzi Ceramiche based on a design by Gio Ponti.
Ceramic
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 15 in W 11 in D 0.1 in
"American Indian Dance, " Art Deco Drawing by Jean Target, 1930s
By Jean Target
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Evidence of Western Europe's fascination with Native American culture, dress and way of life for over a century, this vivid drawing uses watercolor, gouache and crayon to capture a g...
Paper
Sold
H 12.21 in W 25.6 in D 0.04 in
Large Original Drawing by Gio Ponti for Touring Carrozzeria, Milan, 1952
By Gio Ponti
Located in Dronten, NL
Important drawing by Gio Ponti of the diamante line for Touring Carrozzeria, Milan. Ponti's car designs where never realized, but his design ideas where very important for the devel...
Paper
Mid-20th Century Gio Ponti Painting on Plexiglass, Italy, 1970
By Gio Ponti
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an original, one of the kind painting, of the well known and eclectic Italian architect Gio Ponti. The Master was an international voice of the Moder Italian Style. The th...
Plexiglass
Gio Ponti Portrait on Perspex of "Le Gemelle", Late 1960
By Gio Ponti
Located in CH
Gio Ponti ( 18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979 ), Portrait on Perspex "Le Gemelle" , Late 1960. This painting was inspired by a letter to Ilaria Borletti in Italy toward...
Acrylic
Sold
H 17.72 in W 11.82 in D 0.02 in
Sined Reverse Painting on Plexiglass by Gio Ponti Entitled 'Gli Innamorati'
By Gio Ponti
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
A stunning Reverse painting on Plexiglass by the World famous Architect/Designer/Artist Gio Ponti. This piece stylistically very much a revisiting of the painting 'Ammazone' from 19...
Plexiglass