Pair of Gio Ponti Chairs by Isa, 1956
View Similar Items
Pair of Gio Ponti Chairs by Isa, 1956
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.26 in (87 cm)Width: 16.93 in (43 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1956
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Rome, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU95001182162
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.
- 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
$8,617 Sale Price20% Off - rare Gio Ponti leggera chair, n.646 by Cassina, from Hotel Royal Naples, 1955By Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITvery rare Gio Ponti iconic chair, n. 646 by Cassina ash and re-upholstery in ivory cotton this model was manufactured by Cassina, Meda as a variation on Ponti's legendary "leggera" c...Category
Vintage 1950s European Modern Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Ash
- Gio Ponti Set of 3 High TureensBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITGio Ponti set of 3 high tureen with cup from the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome;stamped with logo PDP;produced By Calderoni Argenterie. Sold with a letter of authenticity of Lisa...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
$5,276 / set - Gio Ponti Set Of Two Lidded ServersBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITGio Ponti set of two lidded servers with cup;from the Hotel Parco dei Pricnipi in Roma in alpacca by CalederonI Argenteria; stamped with logo PDP. Sold with a letter of authenticity...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
$2,857 / set - Gio Ponti Set Of Alpacca Sauce ServersBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITSet of three GIO PONTI sauce servers from hotel Parco dei Principi,Rome; alpacca by Calderoni Argenteria,stamped logo PDP and Calderoni. Sold with a letter of authenticity of Lisa L...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Serving Pieces
$2,638 / set - Gio Ponti Set Coffe ServiceBy Gio PontiLocated in Rome, ITA Gio Ponti set of coffe and tea service from the Hotel Parco dei Principi In Roma ; six pieces; in alpacca by Calderoni Argenteria stamped logo PDP. Sold with a letter of authenti...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sheffield and Silverplate
$3,077 / set
- 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
- Pair of Gio Ponti Leggera Chairs, 1954By Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Brussels, BELeggera Chair model "646" by Gio Ponti. Edited by Cassina in 1951. The present set is from the period. The chair was considered a masterpiece of design due to its lightness and well ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Ash
$3,077 / set - Pair of Gio Ponti Leggera Chairs, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Brussels, BEPair of Leggera black chairs model "646" by Gio Ponti. Edited by Cassina in 1951. The present set is from the period. The chair was considered a masterpiece of design due to its ligh...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Ash
$3,077 / set - Gio Ponti ChairsBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in New York, NYRare pair of armchairs by Gio Ponti. Rare pair of armchairs by Gio Ponti. A rare variation of model #110, produced by Cassina. Open-grain ash chairs with upholstered seat and back an...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$15,500 / set - Occasional Chair by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA beautiful, vintage dining/desk/occasional chair by Gio Ponti for Singer&Sons, ca' 1950's. Restored with wool seats by Larsen fabric, papercord bac...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of "Pontiponti" Chairs by Gio Ponti for PalluccoBy Gio Ponti, Paolo PalluccoLocated in Milan, ITRare set of two "Pontiponti" chairs by Gio Ponti for Pallucco.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
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.