Rare Pair of Armchairs by Gio Ponti (1891-1979)
View Similar Items
Rare Pair of Armchairs by Gio Ponti (1891-1979)
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)Seat Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940-50
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original Upholstery.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: gp61stDibs: U10061379352176
Gio Ponti
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.
- Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassic Lounge, Desk or Vanity Chair by Gio PontiBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYAn elegant, timeless Italian Midcentury Modern Neoclassical Armchair / Desk, Vanity or Lounge Chair by Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, Italy. The cherry wood piece features sober, ro...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Lounge Chairs, Circle of Gio PontiBy (After) Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYAn elegant pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical lounge chairs or Armchairs in the style of Gio Ponti. The pieces are in a sculptura...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Brass Bar Stools by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYAn Elegant and Timeless Pair of Italian Midcentury Modern Bar Stools in Solid Brass by Gio Ponti. The bar stools present an open, transparent aesthetic with pure lines and sober deta...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Italian Midcentury Modern Walnut Side Chairs, Circle of Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYElegant, sober and dramatic pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical walnut side chairs from circle of Gio Ponti, Italy, circa 1950. A combination of beautiful form, lines and...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWalnut, Upholstery
- Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs by Isa Bergamo & Att Gio PontiBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYAn Elegant and Timeless Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs / Armchairs or Bed-side Chairs attributed to Gio Ponti and by ISA Bergamo. The chairs show a strong resemblan...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Pair of Italian Futurist / Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs, Giacomo BallaBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYPair of Rare Italian Futurist Lounge Chairs with a stunning and unique form conveying speed and movement and "the future". These Mid-Century Modern armchairs have dramatic appeal and...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Futurist Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Hardwood
- Pair of Vintage Armchairs in Gio Ponti StyleBy Gio PontiLocated in Sag Harbor, NYThese handsome upholstered vintage Italian chairs have tight backs and loose seat cushions and are newly re-covered in a textured grey linen fabric. The splayed arm details, notched...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLinen, Walnut
$4,500 Sale Price50% Off - Pair of Blu Velvet Gio Ponti Bergere Wingback Armchairs by ISA, 1950By Arredamenti ISA, Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITPair of blu velvet GIO PONTI bergere armchair, manufactured by ISA Arredamenti Bergamo, circa 1950. This model designed by Gio Ponti in the late 40s was manufactured by Cassina with...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bergere Chairs
MaterialsBrass
$8,626 Sale Price20% Off - Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet Armchairs, 1950s, PairBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaElegant and splendid pair of Mid-Century Modern Bergere Armchairs, attributed to Gio Ponti, 1950 for ISA Editions, Bergamo. The armchairs have a new light ivory velvet upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
$5,721 Sale Price / set20% Off - Pair of Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet "Alata" Lounge Chairs, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Puglia, PugliaPair of bergère armchairs, Alata Mod. 820 armchairs, designed by Gio Ponti for the Royal Hotel in Naples and produced by Cassina, Italy, 1950. Completely restored and recently uphols...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
$21,126 Sale Price / set20% Off - 1950s Upholstered Club Chairs in Gio Ponti StyleBy Gio PontiLocated in Sag Harbor, NYIn the style of Gio Ponti Mid-Century pair of modern club chairs with notched out arms and deep seat cushion upholstered in linen.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Feathers
$8,500 Sale Price / set45% Off - Pair of Gio Ponti Style ArmchairsBy Gio PontiLocated in East Hampton, NYPair of Gio Ponti style armchairs.....modern wing chairsCategory
20th Century Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$12,000 / set
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.