Gio Ponti (1891-1979) was one of the most important figures in Italian art of the 20th Century. A polymath, he was an architect and designer or interiors, furniture, and objects, as well as a painter, poet, essayist and magazine editor.
For his work, his ideas, and his activities, he is considered the founding father of Italian design. Ponti's method was based on the value of the art of craftsmen, artists, and entrepreneurs who dedicated themselves objectively to the processing of raw materials:
"No material is more noble than the others, only the project design, the time and the creativity that people pour into the raw material ennoble it, making it precious."
His renown as the inventor of the 'Made in Italy' derives from these alliances. In particular, after Ponti's first encounter with Paolo Venini at the end of the 1920s, his adventure in the world of blown glass matured after the war.
Anticipated by a prolific correspondence with drawings, the pieces he created could be extraordinary, one-off pieces, such as the 'Woman with the Crinoline'.
For more than fifty years, Gio Ponti signed several masterpieces of modern architecture such as the Pirelli and Montecatini buildings. He cooperated with many prestigious companies and leaders in the field of interior design and accessories, leaving a permanent mark in Italian design.
Heritage Gio Ponti
Gio Ponti & Venini
The Gio Ponti Chandelier, 1946
After World War 2 when Italian design was catching on, Gio Ponti expressed the desire to live life to the fullest and enjoy the beauty of that period. The sinuous shapes, the personality, and the flashy style are the peculiarities of a chandelier that is part of Venini's extraordinary history.
"Tradition has always been the exception (that is, the masterpiece that makes the rule); it has always been health, strength, life, and that is colour. True tradition, the one I adore, the one that innovators uphold, has always been full of colour and passions."
Gio Ponti - "The whole world has to be vibrantly coloured: - 1952 for the Pirelli review.
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