1957 Gio Ponti Bespoke Sofa for Singer and Sons, Mid-Century Modern
View Similar Items
1957 Gio Ponti Bespoke Sofa for Singer and Sons, Mid-Century Modern
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer),M. Singer & Sons (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 124 in (314.96 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1957
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU83016197483
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.
- 1960s Tall Alvino Bagni Italian Mid Century Modern Ceramic Vase for BitossiBy Bitossi, Aldo LondiLocated in Miami, FLA 1960s import from Italy, this tall Bitossi Vase was designed by Alvino Bagni and has a shouldered form with a fine craquelure creamy glaze on the bottom topped with a textural impressed conical head and mouth in matte glaze in green and mustard shades. Probably imported by Raymor, this mid-century mod vase...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsClay
$360 Sale Price20% Off - Aldo Londi for Bitossi Italian Mid-Century Modern Cylindrical Pottery Vase 1960sBy Bitossi, Aldo LondiLocated in Miami, FLREDUCED FROM $350...Mid century Italian modern tall cylindrical vase by Aldo Londi for Bitossi probably retailed by Rosenthal Netter. Decorated with...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery
$200 Sale Price42% Off - Japanese Mid Century Modern Ceramic VaseLocated in Miami, FLMid Century Japanese Ceramic Vase with a lovely modern design on a traditional form. The decoration is of 6 vertival bands on a dark...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery
- Swedish Mid-Century Modern Wall Plaques Aimo Nietosvuori for Jie Verkstad, 1970sBy JIE GantoftaLocated in Miami, FLWhimsical trio of ceramic wall plaques designed by Aimo Nietosvuori (b. 1933-Finland) for the Swedish ceramic company JIE Keramik. The plaques depict members of a family sporting 1920s-1930s clothing...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery
- Danish Mid Century Modern Light Pendant Bent Norsted for Lyskaer Denmark 1970By LyskaerLocated in Miami, FLA Space Age Modern large 1970s pendant light by Bent Norsted for Lyskær Belysning with a downward trumpet shape design in brushed aluminum with a white inside. Takes a single bulb,...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum
- 1953 Francis Jennings Mid Century Modern Painting "Fat Cat and Bird" Oil/ BoardLocated in Miami, FLFrancis Jennings (b. Wilmington, DE 1910 - 1993 NYC) painted this framed surreal cubist oil on board in 1953 while residing in NYC. In vivid colors, Jennings depicted a large cat wit...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsMasonite, Paint
$2,800 Sale Price20% Off
- Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Velvet Sofa for ISA, 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaElegant and splendid three-seater sofa with high backrest attributed Gio Ponti, 1950s, for ISA Edizioni, Bergamo. Carved profile, refined lines, sensual and deep comfort. The ivory v...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Beech, Fir
$5,652 Sale Price20% Off - Gio Ponti N. 512 Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa for ISA, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated 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
- Gio Ponti Dining Chairs for Singer & Sons Set of SixBy Gio Ponti, M. Singer & SonsLocated in Chicago, ILGio Ponti dining chairs for Singer & Sons Set of Six Set includes two armchairs, model 149 and four side chairs, model 116 Refurbished walnut frames, newly...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMohair, Walnut
$25,200 / set - Gio Ponti Style Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa for Isa Bergamo, 50sBy Casa e Giardino, Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaSofa Collection designed in the style of Gio Ponti for the manufacturing company Isa Bergamo in the late 1950s. The armchairs have been restored and the upholstery has been redone in...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBeech, Bouclé
$4,782 Sale Price20% Off - Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Sofa by Gio Ponti for ISA BergamoBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in New York, NYAn elegant, stunning Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofa with modern neoclassical influences by Gio Ponti for Editions ISA, Bergamo, circa 1955. This sofa features a high back, wingback ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMohair, Upholstery, Hardwood
- Gio Ponti Velvet Lounge Chairs in Walnut & Brass for M. Singer and Sons, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, M. Singer & SonsLocated in Dallas, TXRare pair of lounge chairs designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti and produced for M. Singer & Sons circa 1950. Exquisitely restored to the highest possible standard.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
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.