Pair of Gio Ponti 512 Armchairs, Original Velvet, ISA Bergamo, Italy, 1950s
View Similar Items
Pair of Gio Ponti 512 Armchairs, Original Velvet, ISA Bergamo, Italy, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.62 in (93 cm)Width: 26.78 in (68 cm)Depth: 31.89 in (81 cm)Seat Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2259334309382
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 Giulia Veronesi Perla Chairs, Yellow Velvet, ISA Bergamo, Italy, 1950sBy Giulia VeronesiLocated in London, GBA lovely pair of Giulia Veronesi Perla armchairs, I.S.A. Bergamo, Italy, 1950s. Newly upholstered in a textured golden yellow velvet. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Pair of Giulia Veronesi Perla Chairs, ISA Bergamo, Italy, 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Giulia VeronesiLocated in London, GBA wonderful pair of Giulia Veronesi Perla armchairs, I.S.A. Bergamo, Italy, 1950s. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Pair of Gio Ponti Style Chairs, Italy, 1960sBy Gio PontiLocated in London, GBA pair of Gio Ponti style chairs, in two tone velvet, Italy, 1960s. The fabric shows only minor signs of use and wear so the chairs can be used as are but are also suitable for reco...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$3,855 / set - Pair of Armchairs by Maurizio Tempestini, Italy, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Maurizio TempestiniLocated in London, GBA wonderful and rare pair of armchairs by Maurizio Tempestini, Italy, 1950s. The chair cushions require new fabric. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech, Cherry
- Pair of Armchairs attributed to Paolo Buffa, Pure Mohair, Italy, 1950sBy Paolo Buffa, Gio PontiLocated in London, GBA handsome pair of armchairs attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s. The chairs are newly upholstered in a premium taupe (dark brown with a hint of grey) pure mohair fabric and fe...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech
- First Edition Poltrona Frau Metropolis Armchairs, Italy, 1950sBy Poltrona Frau, Gio Ponti, Guglielmo Ulrich, Melchiorre BegaLocated in London, GBA rare pair of first edition Metropolis armchairs by Poltrona Frau, Italy 1950s. Newly upholstered in a bespoke, premium, soft, pure alpaca wool fabric. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAlpaca, Wood
- Isa Bergamo Gio Ponti Style Armchair Made in Italy 1950s Original FabricBy Gio PontiLocated in Palermo, SicilyIsa Bergamo Gio Ponti armchair made in Italy 1950s original fabric.Category
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Two 1950s Gio Ponti Style Mid-Century Modern Armchairs Mod. 512 by ISA BergamoBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Aci Castello, ITThese Mid-Century Modern armchairs Mod. 512 designed in the style of Gio Ponti for Isa Bergamo are a Classic example of Mid-Century Modern design. These chairs were first introduced ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, 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
- Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Armchair by Isa Bergamo, 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated 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
$2,887 Sale Price20% Off - Pair of Lounge Chairs Attributed to Gio Ponti for ISA Bergamo, Italy 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Utrecht, NLThis elegant pair of lounge chairs is attributed to the Italian designer Gio Ponti and was produced by ISA Bergamo in Italy during the 1950s. Several of Ponti’s designs had been manu...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gio Ponti N. 512 Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa for ISA, 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaElegant and splendid three-seater sofa with high backrest by Gio Ponti, 1950s, for ISA Edizioni, Bergamo, model N. 512. Carved profile, refined lines, sensual and deep comfort. The u...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBeech, Fabric
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.