Juan PerÃ³n

Gio Ponti is an architect, Industrial designer, author, Italian teacher. It carried out a single career, participant in an active way in the revival of the Design of post-war period.

Born with Milan in 1891, it is graduate Polytechnic school of Milan in 1921. In 1925 it is named director with biennial Monza in Italy, responsibility which it will preserve until his death in 1979. Thanks to its implication, the Biennial one experiences a formidable development: moved in Milan in 1933, renamed Triennial of art and modern architecture, it becomes a privileged place of observation of the innovation to the international level.

In 1928, it also launches DOMUS, re-examined of architecture still published today that it directs until in 1979 and of which it refers international. Created in the beginning to promote the ideas of the Novecento, reflecting and encouraging the modernistic projects according to the war, Domus plays a big role in the evolution of the design and architecture Italian and international. Ponti made there discover the work of Charles Eames or that of the decorator Piero Fornasetti with whom it carries out many projects.

Its architectural projects

It begins its activity of architecture within the agency of Emilio Lancia and Mino Fiocchi. Until 1945, associated to the engineers Antonio Fornaroli and Eugenio Soncini, it carries out many architectural projects: the School of Mathematics of the University of Rome (1934), the first building of Montecatini (1936), the whole of apartments “Domuses” in Milan (1931-1936). In the Sixties and Seventies, Ponti creates the lace frontages “” of the cathedral of Taranto (1970) and of the vault of the hospital of San-Carlo to Milan. (1967). In collaboration with the ceramics manufacturers, whose Pozzi and of Agostino, it carries out experiments on the coatings and constructs the frontages of the museum of art of Denver (1971) and that of the store Shui-Hing of Singapore (1978).

Its career of designer

Artistic director of 1923 with 1930 for Richard Ginori, ceramics manufacturer, it adapts the whole of creations of the company to the series production and designs crowned neo-classic parts of one Grand Prix to the International exhibition of decorative Arts of Paris in 1925.

In 1928, he is founder of DOMUS, a review of architecture. In 1930, it created for Fontana of the pieces of furniture and the luminaries and becomes in 1933 artistic director subsidiary company Fontana Arte for which it designs a encircled cylindrical lamp of crystal discs and mirrors. Teacher of 1936 with 1961 at the Polytechnic school of Milan, it forms several generations of designers. Of 1946 with 1950, it conceives for Venini of the bottles of glass, of the glosses, of which a multicoloured candlestick out of glass of Murano.

In 1948, it creates celebrates it machine with expresso the Pavoni whose chrome cylinders evoke the industrial universe. Exported in the whole world, it becomes for the teenagers who attend the coffees, the symbol of the “dolce vita”. The Fifties are most prolific of its life: with Piero Fornasetti, it creates interior installations neo-classic, furniture. At the same moment, Ideal Standard entrusts the design of a range to him the medical ones. Its bathroom “Series B”, published in 1953, offers a sober and functional line to opposite of the neo-classic style. Since 1955, the chair Superleggera conceived for Cassina, always in production today, arrives on the market. Its qualities which are its at the same time traditional lines - inspired by the traditional furniture of the fishermen of Chiavari, the village of origin of Gio Ponti - and ultramodern as its featherweight (1,7 kg) make Superleggera traditional design.

Gio Ponti contributed, in addition, contributed to create one of the most important rewards of the design: the Compasso d' Oro.

Gio Ponti dies on September 16th 1979.

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