Gio Ponti

1891-1979

The Absolute Master of Italian Design

Architect, designer, publisher and theorist, Gio Ponti alone embodies the golden age of Italian design. Founder in 1928 of the magazine Domus, which he directed for half a century, he worked tirelessly to reconcile industry, craft and beauty. His influence on 20th-century design is incomparable.

The Aesthetic: Functional Elegance

Ponti sought lightness, delicacy and the rightness of proportion. From the skyscraper to the table setting, he applied the same rigour: a pure, luminous and resolutely modern form.

Materials: Walnut, brass, glazed ceramic, glass.

Icons: The ‘Superleggera’ chair (Cassina), the Pirelli Tower in Milan, the ceramics for Richard Ginori.

A Worldwide Influence

From Milan to Caracas, Ponti designed buildings, hotel interiors and objects distributed around the world. Steeped in classical culture yet turned towards the future, he remains the founding reference of Italian ‘bel design’.