21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

The Eye of Gio Ponti: Crossing Boundaries with Lightness

Rice and Straw. Shimenawa Artisan Kiyoshi Joko

Gio Ponti, one of the leading architects of 20th-century Italian modernism, designed everything from a spoon to a skyscraper and had an "eye" for the integrated whole of its parts. The Pirelli Tower, completed in 1960, and the Superleggera, an ultra-light chair introduced in 1957, are masterpieces of thinness and lightness. In recent years, the revival of many of Ponti's masterworks has highlighted the multifaceted appeal of the maestro's work.

Looking at the world through the eyes of Gio Ponti, the landscape of the home opens up to the future, lightly transcending the dualisms that lie in the world of art and craft against mass production, and decoration against minimalism. Ponti lived through two world wars in his 87-year life, and pursued his own "eye" in an integrated manner, without staying within the isms of the times – Viennese Secession, Italian rationalism, modernism, etc. – and without giving in to the fragmentation of fields such as architecture, products and graphics. His light, trans-boundary expression and sense of happiness began to resonate with what we need today. This is the reason why a design that is almost 70 years old has a fresh appeal today, and not out of nostalgia.

This exhibition, in collaboration with the Gio Ponti Archives, creates a unique spatial environment through reeditions (by Molteni&C) of the furniture he projected for his home in Milan, including armchairs, coffee tables, and bookshelves, as well as a reproduction of the ceramic tiles that were boldly laid on the floor. In addition, a large panel looking back on the master's work over a period of almost 60 years will display Richard Ginori porcelain products from the 1920s and original drawings, as well as the documentary film Amare Gio Ponti by Francesca Molteni, which looks beyond Gio Ponti's gaze into our future.

Profile

Gio Ponti (architect, 1891 - 1979)
Born in Milan, Italy. Graduated from Politecnico di Milano and founded an architectural design office. Appointed as the art director of the porcelain manufacturer Richard Ginori (at the time) in 1923. First issued the architectural magazine domus in 1928. Since then, he has produced numerous works in fields as diverse as architecture, design, editing and stage design. Signature works include the Pirelli Skyscraper and Superleggera. In recent years, his works have been re-evaluated, and several manufacturers have been reissuing furniture and products.