(1891 - 1979)
Gio Ponti was perhaps the most influential person in 20th century
Italian design. An architect, designer, publisher, writer, he set milestones in everything he did. From the emblematic Pirelli Tower in Milan – one of Italy’s first skyscrapers – down to the humble, yet iconic Murano lamps he designed for
Venini, Ponti left his mark on Italian design like no other. And in Domus, he created a magazine that has shaped the discourse on design and architecture for almost a century.
Ponti was born in 1891 in Milan where he later graduated in architecture. In 1923 he took the job of creative director of the Richard-Ginori ceramics factory. It was only his first major assignment and yet he transformed the output of the firm, combining simple form with classical motifs to produce pieces that would go on to the win the Grand Prix at the 1925 Paris Expo.
Two years later he could be found at Lancia where he experimented with low-cost furniture and industrial scale design. The result was the Domus Nova series that demonstrated Ponti’s ability to embrace both ends of the social spectrum. “Industry,” he wrote in the catalogue for the Paris Expo, “is the style of the 20th century, its mode of creation”.
It was in this same period that Ponti founded the magazine Domus. Inspired by the journalist Ugo Ojetti, and published by long-time collaborator Gianni Mazzocchi, Domus became a mouthpiece for Ponti, as well as many other influential designers and writers, to introduce and popularise new ideas, whilst espousing his own vision for Italian architecture and design. Over the course of 51 years, he presided over the publication of more than 500 editions and wrote innumerable articles, creating a landmark publication that became the most influential architecture and design magazine in Europe.
And all the while his design and architecture work continued unabated. The 1950s was a particularly impressive time even by Ponti’s own standards. During that decade he designed what some regard as his architectural masterpiece – the Pirelli Tower in Milan, a domineering skyscraper that perfectly represented Italy’s economic boom. He also designed interiors for the Parco del Principi hotel in Serrano, as well as a number of Conte cruise ships, and created the design for his Superleggera chair. Produced by design firm
Cassina, the chair’s structure was reduced to the bare minimum, making it light enough to lift with one hand, yet strong enough to withstand the day-to-day use of a normal household.
Possibly the best example of Ponti’s work is the Villa Planchart in Caracas. Here can be found all the facets of Ponti’s creative genius combined into one seamless whole. From the light and transparent architecture to the geometric patterns of his mosaics and countless pieces of furniture and accessories designed specifically for the house, this was Ponti’s holistic vison brought to life.
Gio Ponti died in 1979 but remained active right to the end. Over the course of his life, he worked on buildings, urban planning, exhibitions and countless pieces of furniture, lamps, ceramics, glassware and more. From skyscrapers to humble coffee pots, no object was left unexamined, and no area of design left untouched by this most iconic of designers.