Gio Ponti for Cassina

GIO PONTI (1891 - 1979, Milan). for Cassina.
Set of six "Superleggera" chairs, c. 1960.
Ash wood and Indian cane.
One of the seats has been restored.
Measurements: 83 x 40 x 44 cm (x6); 44 cm (seat height, x6).
The Superleggera chair is a chair designed by the Italian designer in 1955 and produced by Cassina since 1957. It is one of the Milanese designer's best-known products and one of the most significant industrial design creations of the 20th century. In fact, it is part of the permanent collection of the Triennale Design Museum and was exhibited at the 4th edition of the latter: Le Fabbriche dei sogni. Because of its characteristics and the original demonstrations that accompanied its presentation to the public, the chair has become a cultural symbol and one of the most interesting examples of innovative technology applied to furniture. It was selected for the IV Compasso d'oro award and is part of the ADI Design Index selection. Architect, designer and academic, Gio Ponti is, together with Ettore Sottsass, the leader of the most sought-after Italian designers of the 20th century by collectors. In addition to the elegance of his furniture, sensitive to functionality, but original at the same time, Ponti is recognized for his volcanic creativity, which led him to produce and design until the 1970s. His ability to give voice to new trends made him the "inventor" of the Made in Italy design concept. Ponti studied architecture at the Politecnico. After World War I, in which he had to serve, he worked as artistic director for the respected ceramic manufacturing company Richard-Ginori. Between 1923 and 1927 he partnered with architects Mino Fiocchi and Emilio Lancia, opening his own studio in 1928, and founded the famous design magazine Domus, through whose pages (and those of Lo Stile, a magazine he would found and edit in the 1940s) Ponti influenced international taste in design for more than fifty years. By 1933, Ponti partnered with engineers Antonio Fornaroli and Eugenio Soncini to create the Ponti-Fornaroli-Soncini studio, which firmly embraced the modernist aesthetic and worked until 1945. In 1950, Ponti was awarded the commission for what would become one of the iconic buildings of the 20th century, the 32-story Pirelli Tower in Milan. Throughout his career, Ponti played many different roles: architect, industrial designer, craftsman, teacher, painter, editor and journalist.