Gio Ponti

For the racehorse, see Gio Ponti (horse).

Gio Ponti
Ponti in the 1950s
Born(1891-11-18)18 November 1891
Milan, Italy
Died16 September 1979(1979-09-16) (aged 87)
Milan, Italy
Alma materPolytechnic University of Milan
OccupationArchitect
Buildings

Giovanni "Gio" Ponti (Italian pronunciation: [ˌdʒo pˈponti]; 18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher.[4]

During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more than a hundred buildings in Italy and in the rest of the world. He designed a considerable number of decorative art and design objects as well as furniture.[5] Thanks to the magazine Domus, which he founded in 1928 and directed almost all his life, and thanks to his active participation in exhibitions such as the Milan Triennial, he was also an enthusiastic advocate of an Italian-style art of living and a major player in the renewal of Italian design after the Second World War.[6] From 1936 to 1961, he taught at the Milan Polytechnic School and trained several generations of designers. Ponti also contributed to the creation in 1954 of one of the most important design awards: the Compasso d'Oro, and was himself awarded the prize in 1956.[7][8] Ponti died on 16 September 1979.

His most famous works are the Pirelli Tower, built from 1956 to 1960 in Milan in collaboration with the engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, the Villa Planchart in Caracas and the Superleggera chair,[9] produced by Cassina in 1957.

  1. ^ Ponti, Gio (February 1961). "Villa Planchart, Caracas 1953–57". domusweb.it. Domus. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. ^ "North Building". DenverArtMuseum.org. Denver Art Museum. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. ^ "PALAZZO MONTECATINI". Olivari.it. OLIVARI B. S.P.A. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ^ Ponti, Lisa Licitra (1990). Gio Ponti: l'opera. Ponti, Gio, 1891–1979 (1st ed.). Milano: Leonardo. ISBN 8835500834. OCLC 23017967.
  5. ^ Ponti, Lisa Licitra (1990). Gio Ponti: l'opera. Ponti, Gio, 1891–1979 (1st ed.). Milano: Leonardo. ISBN 8835500834. OCLC 23017967.
  6. ^ "Treccani". Treccani.it.
  7. ^ "The ADI Compasso d'Oro Award". ADI Design Museum. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Compasso d'oro alla carriera (1956)". ADI Design Museum (in Italian). Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Gio Ponti – 699 Superleggera". Italian Architecture. Retrieved 24 September 2022.