Gio Ponti and Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, Set of 2 Wooden Model DU10 Chairs, 1951
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 19.3 in (49 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1951
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:
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: Milan, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Gastone Rinaldi for Rima Italian Mid-Century "DU 68" Chair, 1955By Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Milan, ITGastone Rinaldi for Rima Italian mid-century "DU 68" chair 1955 DU 68 chair produced by Gastone Rinaldi for Rima. RIMA under the leadership of Gastone Rinaldi became a leading com...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsRattan
- Gastone Rinaldi for Rima, Italian Mid-Century Leather Lounge Chair, 1950By Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Milan, ITGastone Rinaldi for Rima, Italian Mid-Century leather lounge chair, 1950 This beautiful brown leather lounge chair is comfortable and stylish. Please note : the "free shipping...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gastone Rinaldi for Rima, Italian Mid-Century "Saturno" Sofa in Pink Velvet 1957By Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Milan, ITThis sofa designed by Gastone Rinaldi in 1957 for the company Rima from Padova, Italy exhibits a purity of craftsmanship thanks to its simple yet sophisticated crossbow- shaped metal frame, considered a breakthrough at the time for the avant-garde form. Upholstered in an elegant tone of pink velvet, the structure has been very well-maintained, and the sofa is ready to be shipped worldwide. His 1957 “Saturno” is included in the famous modern and contemporary art collection at New York’s MoMA. A must have piece for the most valued Italian Design's collector. Gastone Rinaldi (1920-2006) was an architect and designer from Padua, Italy, specialized in furniture. He designed a number of metal chairs for Rima, the company his father had established in 1916. One of the models, the DU30, earned him the 1954 Compasso d’Oro. After leaving the family business, he started his own company in 1974 – Thema – for which he created high-tech style items such as the “Dafne” foldable chair...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- BBPR, rare set of 3 Italian Mid-century Modern Wooden and Velour Chairs, 1948By Studio BBPRLocated in Milan, ITSet of 3 Italian Mid-century Modern Wooden and Green Velour Chairs, 1948 Coveted set of 3 chairs in perfect shape, beautiful details on the wooden structure and precious cushioning in great conditions. BBPR was a studio of architects, urban planners and designers, composed by Gian Luigi Banfi, Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Enrico Peressutti and Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Founded in Milan in 1932, the studio was a vivid part of the debate of the modern movement, becoming one of the leading exponents and masters of the Italian design. The first important intervention project was designed in 1946, after the war and the loss of Banfi: the planning of the reconstruction of Milan. At the IX Triennale in Milan, when the birth of Italian design (1951) began, they organised the exhibition “The shape of usefulness” (with Francesco Buzzi Ceriani and Max Huber...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Gianfranco Frattini, Italian Mid-Century Modern Set of 4 Wooden Chairs, 1950sBy Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Milan, ITBeautiful Set of 4 wooden chairs by Gianfranco Frattini, 1950s: a perfect Italian Mid-Century addition in a well curated dining room. Subtle geometric transitions between curves and...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Set of 6 Italian Mid-Century Modern Wooden Dining Room Chairs, circa 1950Located in Milan, ITSet of 6 Italian Mid-Century Modern wooden dining room chairs, circa 1950 the structures are all stable and the fabric has good integrity. We offer re-upholtsery included in the ful...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Chair Model DU41 by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, Italy, 1956By Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in SAINT-OUEN, FRchair dinning bridge or small armchairs model DU41 by the designer Gastone Rinaldi for the editor RIMA in 1956. Blue lacquered, original painting, great patina, ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Rare "DU22" Plywood Chair by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, 1951, three availableBy Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Milan, ITRare "DU22" chair designed by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA in 1951. Metal sheet and plywood structure, vinyl covered upholstery. This chair was firstly introduced during the "Arti and Es...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Six Du2 Chairs by Gastone Rinaldi for Rima, Italy 1960sBy Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Roma, ITSet of Six Du2 Chairs by Gastone Rinaldi for Rima, Italy 1960s. Lacquered metal and leather. Dimensions: Cm 86,00 x 80,00 x 54,00. Ref. G. Drago, J. Drago, Gastone Rinaldi. Desig...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gastone Rinaldi per Rima, Quattro Sedie, 1951By Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Baranzate, ITQuattro Sedie "953 Sedia Sovrapponibile" in bachelite e metallo, impilabile. Presente marchio del produttore. Prod. Rima Padova. 1951.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 6 Chairs Model DU41 by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, Italy, 1956By Gastone RinaldiLocated in Brussels, BESet of 6 chairs model DU41 by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA. Italy, 1956.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Pair of Chairs by Gastone Rinaldi Model Du 41 Rima, in White BouclèBy Gastone Rinaldi, RIMALocated in Milano, ITRare pair of two small armchairs designed by Gastone Rinaldi for the Rima manufacture in the 1950s. The pair of armchairs is the Du 41 model, also known as the Luna Model Note: publi...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal, Brass
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.