Gio Ponti, Lounge Chair, Wood, Velvet, Brass, Italy, 1937
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer),Casa e Giardino (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1937
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Reupholstered in brand new velvet.
- Seller Location:High Point, NC
- 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: High Point, NC
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Gio Ponti, Lounge Chairs, Wood, Fabric, Italy, 1936By Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA pair of wood and fabric lounge chairs. This design was presented at the Triennale di Milano of 1936 and has been authenticated by the Gio Ponti archive.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Gio Ponti Attribution, Lounge Chairs, Shearling, Wood, Italy, 1940sBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA pair of beige shearling and dark-stained wood lounge chairs, design attributed to Gio Ponti, presumably manufactured by Casa e Giardino. 14.5 seat heightCategory
Vintage 1940s Italian Organic Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Wood
- Gio Ponti Attribution, Lounge Chairs, Shearling, Wood, Italy, 1940sBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA pair of wood and beige shearling lounge chairs, design attributed to Gio Ponti, presumably produced by Casa e Giardino, Italy, 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Organic Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Wood
- Gio Ponti, Lounge Chairs, Walnut, Blue And White Velvet, Cassina, Italy, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in High Point, NCA pair of walnut and blue and white velvet lounge chairs designed by Gio Ponti and produced by Cassina, Italy, 1950s. With a certificate of...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Gio Ponti Attribution, Lounge Chair, Fabric, Walnut, Italy, 1940sBy Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA white bouclé fabric and dark stained fluted walnut lounge chair attributed to Gio Ponti, Italy, 1940s. seat height 13”.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Organic Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Gio Ponti, Rare "811" Lounge Chair, Fabric, Walnut, Rubber, Cassina, c. 1956By Figli di Amadeo Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA rare and iconic lounge chair designed by Gio Ponti. Produced by Cassina, Meda, Italy, c. 1956. This chair is sold with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- elegant gio ponti lounge chairs for casa e giardinoBy Gio Ponti, Casa e GiardinoLocated in Munich, DEwonderful pair of very cosy gio ponti lounge chairs. very low, but with great comfort. and such beauties....Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood, Velvet
- Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino Pair of Lounge ChairsBy Gio Ponti, Casa e GiardinoLocated in Waalwijk, NLGio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, pair of lounge chairs, reupholstered in Zak & Fox fabric, walnut, Italy, circa 1939. This sensuous set of armchairs is desig...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Gio Ponti Lounge ChairsBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in New York, NYModel No. 807A Distex Lounge Chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina. Walnut, fabric. A rare & iconic model. The Distex chair was first presented at the X Triennale in Milan in 1954.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Gio Ponti, Casa E Giardino, a Pair of Lounge Chairs, Reupholstered, 1940sBy Gio Ponti, Casa e GiardinoLocated in Odense, DKA magnificent pair of curved club chairs, reupholstered in a luxurious vintage fabric stored from the 1980s. This nicely patterned fabric really complements the soft curves. Made in ...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Chaise Longues
MaterialsFabric, Beech
- Gio Ponti Style Lounge ChairsBy Gio PontiLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis sleek and stylish pair of Italian modern lounge chairs feature tapered aluminium legs with unique two-tone upholstered. Plush tufted fabric features funky tiger print trim, whil...Category
20th Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery
- Gio Ponti Style 1950's Italian Lounge ChairsBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NY1950's Mid-Century Modern Italian lounge chairs in the style of Gio Ponti, newly re-upholstered with solid walnut legs, with minor wear and patina due to age and use.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChenille, Walnut
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.