Giò Ponti's High Back Armchair for Isa Bergamo, Italy 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer),ISA Bergamo (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 42.52 in (108 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Roma, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6849230539692
Gio Ponti
An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Ponti (1891–1979) designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, lamps 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.
His 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 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 Gio Ponti furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Roma, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Set of Three Low Hexagonal Coffee Tables by Giò Ponti for Isa Bergamo, Italy 50sBy Gio PontiLocated in Roma, RMSet di tre iconici tavoli bassi esagonali di Gio Ponti per I.S.A. Bergamo disegnati e prodotti negli anni 1950s. I tavolini hanno il marchio di autenticita' sono in ottime originali condizioni d'uso,non son mai...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsIron
- Santambrogio & De Berti backlit mirror, 1950s, ItalyBy Santambrogio & De BertiLocated in Roma, RMThis backlit mirror was produced in Italy in the 1950s by Sant'Ambrogio and De Berti. the frame is in concave glass with abstract green, gold and brown decorations. The mirror has a ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsArt Glass, Mirror
- Model 316 Dining chairs by Søborg Møbelfabrik, set of 2By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, Søborg MøbelfabrikLocated in Roma, RMThis set of 2 chairs Model 316 has no attribution mark or proof of authenticity, but is documented in the history of design. The designers of this set are Pe...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsRope, Teak
- Leoncillo Leonardi's ceiling lamp in ceramic and brass with adjustable lightsBy Lumi, Leoncillo LeonardiLocated in Roma, RMThis ceiling lamp designed by Leoncillo Leonardi, in hand-painted ceramic and brass with directional lights, represents the world of Leonardi, the artist, his original ceramics, comb...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- 1950s Two Mid-Century Modern High Back Armchairs by Gio Ponti for Isa BergamoBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Aci Castello, ITThe Mid-Century Modern high-back Armchairs model 408 were designed by the renowned Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti for the Isa Bergamo furniture company in the 1950s. These ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti 2 Armchairs 1950 ISA Bergamo 1 editionBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in Lucca, ITGio Ponti Pair of Armchairs Mid-Century Modern ISA Bergamo Italy 1950 . Fabric in Cintsz patterned Hunting Cintsz ,passamenerie , wavy brass shanks. First series all original , one o...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Armchair by Isa Bergamo, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in Puglia, PugliaMargherita model armchair with wide and comfortable backrest, conical beech foot, upholstery in good condition, spring cushions. The velvet is original...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- High Back Armchairs by Gio Ponti for Isa BergamoBy Gio PontiLocated in Los Angeles, CAHigh Back Armchairs by Gio Ponti for Isa Bergamo, c. 1950's, Italy H 41.25" x W 29" x D 28" / Seat Ht 16.25" FDV11582 *Wear consistent with age and use.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pair of Gio Ponti Armchairs Italian I.S.A. Bergamo, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in Rovereta, SMPair of Gio Ponti armchairs velvet upholstery, I.S.A. Bergamo manufacturer, Italy, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair Lounge Chairs by Gio Ponti for Isa Bergamo, Italy 1950sBy ISA BergamoLocated in New York, NYPair of high back lounge chairs designed by Gio Ponti and produced by ISA Bergamo. This pair of newly upholstered chairs are supported by four solid brass metal curved feet.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.