Gio Ponti
Olivari Designers
Milan 1891-1979
Gio Ponti begins his profession with Emilio Lancia, exhibiting an elegant Novecento style. His Palazzo Montecatini in Milan (1936) brings him closer to Rationalism and introduces many technological innovations in Italy for the first time. In the 1950s, he develops a free, personal style that eschews square corners, searching for highly expressive chromatic and luminous effects, such as the Villa Planchart a Caracas (1954).
He teaches at the Milan Polytechnic from 1936 al 1961, where he graduated in 1920. In 1928 he founds Domus, a magazine he uses to introduce international design culture to Italy.
— Leggera chair, Cassina, Meda, 1954
From the very beginning of his career, Ponti devotes himself to industrial products, first as the artistic director of Richard-Ginori, and then through a vast repertoire of designs: furniture, lamps, bathroom fixtures, textiles, and ceramics.
— Pirelli Tower, Milan 1958
— San Francesco al Fopponino, Milan 1964 (courtesy OSC)