Gio Ponti
Giovanni (Gio) Ponti (1891-1979) is one of the most influential Italian designers of the twentieth century.
Trained as an architect, Ponti was also a poet and a painter, and he moved between disciplines throughout his working life. He is perhaps best known as one of the architects of the Pirelli tower in Milan, at one time the tallest building in Europe.
Biography
Born in Milan in 1891, Ponti attended the Polytechnic University of Milan and graduated in architecture in 1921, after military service during the First World War. In 1928 he founded Domus with Gianni Mazzocchi, which grew into one of the most prominent European magazines in architecture and design. His work as a designer fully took off after the Second World War, and he became a central figure in the Italian industrial aesthetic that conquered international markets in the 1950s.
Ponti took part in the Triennale exhibitions of the 1930s and later joined the Triennial committee. A significant shift can be distinguished in his designs between the two World Wars.
Models and collaborations
Ponti worked with many designers, among them Antonio Fornaroli and Alberto Rosselli, and he was a point of reference for many more. Paolo Buffa, Paco MuƱoz and Lina Bo Bardi are among those who followed him; with Bo Bardi he collaborated on a series of projects during the early period of her career.
Beyond furniture, Ponti designed exhibitions, glass and lighting. Ship interiors captivated him in particular, and they played an important role in his career.