Gio Ponti
Architect, designer and academic, Gio Ponti (1891-1979) is, together with Ettore Sottsass, the leader of the Italian designers of the '900 most sought after by collectors. In addition to the elegance of his furniture, sensitive to functionality but original at the same time, Ponti recognizes the volcanic creativity, which led him to produce and design a lot until the '70s. His ability to give voice to new trends, often incorporating in his creations the work of other artists, from Piero Fornasetti to Pietro Chiesa, with whom he was in effect co-author of several pieces, make him the "inventor" of the concept of design made in Italy. An obvious vocation in the essays he publishes on the pages of the magazine Domus, which he founded in 1928 and directed until 1940. His contribution was also decisive for the birth of the ADI (Association for Industrial Design) and for the establishment of the Compasso d'Oro award.
