Gio Ponti

Giovanni "Giò" Ponti (1891 Milan, 1979 Milan) was one of the most influential architects, industrial designers, artists and publishers of the XX century. 

Ponti graduated with a degree in Architecture in 1921 from the Politecnico di Milano University. Ponti entered into a partnership with architects Emilio Lancia and Mino Fiocchi in 1923. In 1927 he partnered with Lancia at Studio Ponti e Lancia PL. Ponti was heavily influenced by the neo-classical Novecento Italian artistic movement. Those years were the beginning of a very influential carreer in the field of architecture. During this time, in 1928, Ponti also established the Domus magazine. The publication Ponti dedicated to architecture, art, and design became one of the world’s leading magazines of its type, and is still being published to this day.

Architecture was not the only area in which Ponti excelled. Ponti also worked for the porcelain manufacturer Richard-Ginori in Milan. Other design projects Ponti later pursued included ceramic objects and glass bottles such as those he designed for Venini. He also designed highly innovative furnishings under the name Domus Nova and worked also for Cassina. 

Ponti created a variety of lamps for companies like Artemide, Venini and Fontana Arte, showcasing his diverse abilities by achieving distinct design goals for each project. One of the most famous lamps of this period are the Billia and the 0024 lamps which are well-known even today.

In 1931 he founded FontanaArte with Pietro Chiesa. He was one of the promoters of the Compasso d'Oro Award and a founder member of the ADI (Italian association for industrial design), as well as curating programmes for the Milan Triennale on many occasions and teaching at Milan Polytechnic.

 

 

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