Pair of Gio Ponti light pink velvet and wooden feet armchairs
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 19.3 in (49 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Monaco, MC
- 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 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.
MONTE-CARLO GALLERY
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Mougins, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Pair of italian wooden armchairsLocated in Monaco, MCNice pair of wooden armchairs made in solid walnut. Nice shape, good condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of armchairs in oak and rope, french work circa 1950Located in Monaco, MCLovely pair of wooden armchair. Oakwood and natural rope. Good condition. Small restore on one of the armrest. More information on request.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRope, Wood, Oak
- Charming Magazine rack in brass design by Gio Ponti circa 1950By Gio PontiLocated in Monaco, MCLovely magazine rack in brass design by Gio Ponti circa 1950. Very good condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Elegant pair of wooden night stands with black glass topLocated in Monaco, MCLight and legant pair of night stands, bedside in clear wood and black glass table top. Stripes pattern on the drawers face. The top are stuck on the frame. European work circa...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Pair of Murano pink glass leaves wall lampsLocated in Monaco, MCLovely pair of wall lamps. The pink Murano glass will sublimate the light of the space. The brass structure is stong and easy to install. The glass is in perfect condition, the bras...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
- Lovely coffee table in clear and dark wood with sputnik style feetLocated in Monaco, MCLovely coffee table in clear wood with a beautiful wood veneer top. The sputnik foot shape give a single look to this table. The brass details are typical of the mid century peri...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Armchairs Midcentury Italian Design Wood Feet Brass Green Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Palermo, SicilyPair of armchairs midcentury Italian design wood feet brass green Gio Ponti style.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Gio Ponti Style ArmchairsBy Gio PontiLocated in East Hampton, NYPair of Gio Ponti style armchairs.....modern wing chairsCategory
20th Century Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Elegant Pair of Armchairs Attributed to Gio Ponti in Yellow VelvetBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, ITIntroducing a magnificent pair of armchairs attributed to the renowned designer Gio Ponti, dating back to the 1930s-40s. These armchairs not only represent a significant era in Itali...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Midcentury Pair of Velvet Armchairs in the Style of Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Brussels, BEMidcentury Pair of Velvet Armchairs in the style of Gio Ponti for Casa and Giardino, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Pair of Mid-Century Organic Armchairs, Gio Ponti Style, velvet and wood, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Argelato, BORare and sophisticated pair of Mid-Century Italian Organic Armchairs from an important villa in Bologna. Gio Ponti Style, velvet and wood, 1950s The wood was polished by our restore...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Italian armchair pair Attributed to Gio Ponti in Original VelvetBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, ITPair of armchairs attributed to Gio Ponti in walnut wood. The armchairs have the original fabric of the time, a colored corduroy. The armchairs have been restored but have defects in...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, 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.