Gio Ponti - Design New York Tuesday, June 6, 2017 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Ferruccio Asta, via Bigli, Milan, circa 1941
    Luciana Asta, Venice
    Thence by descent
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    Ferruccio Asta was an antiques dealer based in Venice who also maintained a gallery and residence in Milan beginning in 1941. The furnishings for his Venetian gallery and home were designed by Carlo Scarpa, while the furnishings for his Milan residence, including the present pair of armchairs, were designed by Gio Ponti. In 1942, Asta hosted an exhibition of furniture designed by Ponti which incorporated enamels by Paolo de Poli (Stile, May 1942, p. 20).

  • Artist Biography

    Gio Ponti

    Italian • 1891 - 1979

    Among the most prolific talents to grace twentieth-century design, Gio Ponti defied categorization. Though trained as an architect, he made major contributions to the decorative arts, designing in such disparate materials as ceramics, glass, wood and metal. A gale force of interdisciplinary creativity, Ponti embraced new materials like plastic and aluminum but employed traditional materials such as marble and wood in original, unconventional ways.

    In the industrial realm, he designed buildings, cars, machinery and appliances — notably, the La Cornuta espresso machine for La Pavoni — and founded the ADI (Industrial Designer Association). Among the most special works by Gio Ponti are those that he made in collaboration with master craftsmen such as the cabinetmaker Giordano Chiesa, the illustrator Piero Fornasetti and the enamellist Paolo de Poli.

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5

Unique pair of armchairs, designed for Casa Ferruccio Asta, Milan

circa 1941
Fabric, ash.
Each: 28 x 30 1/2 x 31 1/2 in. (71.1 x 77.5 x 80 cm)
Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives.

Estimate
$12,000 - 18,000 

Sold for $20,000

Contact Specialist
Cordelia Lembo
Specialist, Head of Sale
+1 212 940 1265

Design

New York Auction 6 June 2017