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.
Gio Ponti, Art Edition, the Planchart Coffee Table and a Set of Four Art Prints
By TASCHEN, Gio Ponti, Molteni & C
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This numbered Art Edition of 1,000 copies (Hardcover book, 36 x 36 cm, 572 pages) is accompanied by an exclusive, square format reproduction of the Arlecchino coffee table designed b...
Steel
Set of Four 18th Century Prints
Located in Long Island City, NY
Set of four 18th century prints of English Earls.
Paper, Wood
Set of Four 19th Century Equestrian Prints
Located in Long Island City, NY
Set of four 19th century equestrian prints.
Set of Four Chromogenic Prints After Robert Smith 1999
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Intriguing set of four chromogenic abstract prints after Robert Smith. Each print is titled en verso: "Sisyphys", "Unicorn, Sitting ducks", and "Harley-Davidson by the Sea". Each pri...
Plexiglass, Wood, Paper
$555 / set
H 19.89 in W 30.71 in D 0.5 in
Set of Four Antique Carbon Prints, Religious Art, Framed, 19th Century
Located in COLMAR, FR
These four original carbon prints have been made by the French publishing house Maison Braun & Cie. (see labels on the backs). The company was launched in 1853 in the town of Dornach, Alsace, France by Adolphe Braun (1812-1877). The company specialized in (large) reproductions of artworks and came to open offices in Paris (1868), London and New York. In 1883 the company, which had been taken over by Adolphe's son and other family members, became the official and sole photographer/publisher for the Louvre Museum in Paris and other stately owned museums in France. They also had a very impressive sale list of images from other reputed European museums and collections. The company was taken over in the 1950s and the brand ceased to exist in 1969. This set consists of four framed, original carbon prints of late middle-age religious paintings by Italian masters. These prints most likely date from late 1800s or early 1900s. The two large angels are sections from the Linaiuoli Triptych, dated 1433 and painted by the Italian artist Fra Angelico (circa 1387-1455). He is often referred to as the "painter of angels". The female saint holding a book is from the artwork "Annunciation" by the Italian painter Fra Filippo Lippi...
Paper, Glass, Wood
$850
H 36 in W 36 in D 0.19 in
"1 H Sustaining, " Limited Edition Print by Renée Rey from a Series of Four
Located in New York, NY
"1 H Sustaining," is an orange, white and gray archival Fine Art print in a limited edition of 75 by Renée Rey. Each signed Archival Pigment numbered work is printed on hot press rag...
Paper
Set of Four 1930s Advertisement Prints
Located in Los Angeles, CA
These four prints from the 1920s to 1930s have a red theme. Advertisements from various cosmetics of the time. Temporarily framed in a basic black wood frame. Sold as a set, Item...
Wood
Set of Four Framed Bridge and Water Scene Prints
Located in Locust Valley, NY
A set of four framed original prints of British waterfront scenes depicting 19th century landscapes by English landscape painter Havell. In 1816 Havell painted a series of pictures ...
Paint
$207Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 9.85 in W 13.39 in D 0.02 in
Set of 4 Antique Prints of the Lowland Viper and Other Snakes
Located in Langweer, NL
Set of four antique prints titled 'Cyrthopus scutatus, Vipera superciliaris, Calamaria variegata, Coronella olivacea (..)'. Original antique prints illustrating the lowland viper (or...
Paper
Set of Four Hand Colored Monkey Prints
Located in Palm Beach, FL
This set of four hand colored copper plate engravings are illustrations by early 19th century naturalist J. H. Jacob first published in Italy in 1812, and are referred to as "Jacob's...
Copper
Custom Framed British Seaweed Giclée Prints - Set of Four
Located in Pearland, TX
Archival giclée prints from the much celebrated "Nature-Printed British Seaweeds" collection of colored plates and descriptions by W. G. Johnstone & A. Croall, 1859. Subtitled, "...
Acrylic, Wood, Paper
Set of Four Hand Colored Humming Bird Prints
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here are four framed hand colored humming bird species published in the early 20th century representing the original 19th century work of Scottish naturalist, Sir William Jardine. Presented under glass with marbleized mating...
Hardwood
$1,030 / set
H 15.75 in W 9.85 in D 0.02 in
Set of Four Antique Archicture Prints of Various Building Plans and Facades
Located in Langweer, NL
Set of four architecture prints depicting various building facades and plans. The prints state 'Toises', which was one of the fundamen...
Paper