Description

Gio Ponti, walnut, coffee table, Italy, circa 1950. Midcentury Italian design two-tier coffee table by Gio Ponti. Sculptural and elegant design by this Italian grandmaster. Giovanni "Gio" Ponti (18 November 1891–16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer, and publisher. From its fruitful collaboration with Cassina, the Leggera and Superleggera (superlight) chairs, the Distex, Round, Lotus, and Mariposa chairs are now among the classics of Italian design.[18] In 1957, the Superleggera chair designed for Cassina, and still produced today, was put on the market. Starting from the traditional chair model, originating from the village of Chiavari in Liguria, Ponti eliminated all unnecessary weight and material and assimilated the shape as much as possible to the structure, in order to obtain a modern silhouette weighing only 1.7 kg. the chair, which was very strong but also so light that it can be lifted by a child using just one finger.[18] Some of his furniture is now being reissued by Molteni & C. Many models also emerged in the 1960s, such as the Continuum rattan armchair for Pierantonio Bonacina (1963), wooden armchairs for Knoll International (1964), the Dezza armchair for Poltrona Frau (1966), a sofa bed for Arflex, the Novedra armchair for C&B (1968) or the Triposto stool for Tecno (1968). He invented lighting fixtures for Fontana Arte, Artemide (1967), Lumi (1960), and Guzzini (1967), but also fabrics for JSA and dinner service for Ceramica Franco Pozzi (1967).