Gio Ponti - Design London Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | Phillips

Design

London Auction 13 November 2024

  • Provenance

    Walter Ponti, Mantua
    Thence by descent
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Literature

    Gio Ponti, 'Maggior spazio godibile in minor superficie', Domus, no. 490, September 1970, p. 25
    Ugo La Pietra, ed., Gio Ponti: L’Arte si Innamora dell’Industria, Milan, 2009, p. 378

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present folding table is part of the 'Apta' series, a furniture line developed by Gio Ponti and produced by cabinetmaker Walter Ponti in 1970. Exhibited at the third annual Eurodomus exhibition, organised by Ponti to encourage industrial furniture production for the modern home, 'Apta' formed part of 'La Casa Adatta' (The Adapted House), a flexible housing concept whose principles were developed by Ponti over the course of his long career. Joining the open-plan space and mobile concertina walls in 'La Casa Adatta', the 'Apta' furniture range was both versatile and collapsible, capable of folding into multiple configurations in order to serve a variety of functions. This is exemplified by the present lot which, thanks to its sophisticated folding mechanism, is simultaneously a dining table, a console, and a two-dimensional, stowaway table. The last major furniture project of his career, 'Apta' is also aesthetically exemplary of Ponti's oeuvre, its bold geometry and block colour contrasts, both of which feature in the present table, figuring as recurring motifs across Ponti's many furniture designs.

  • 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.

    View More Works

9

Gio Ponti

Folding table, model no. A90, from the 'Apta' series

circa 1970
Painted wood.
75.5 x 185 x 30.7 cm (29 3/4 x 72 7/8 x 12 1/8 in.)
75.5 x 185 x 85.5 cm (29 3/4 x 72 7/8 x 33 5/8 in.), fully extended
Manufactured by Walter Ponti, San Biagio, Italy. Underside with manufacturer's label printed design per/WALTER PONTI/S. BIAGIO-Mantova/ITALY. Together with a certificate of expertise from the Gio Ponti Archives.

Estimate
£12,000 - 18,000 ‡

Sold for £15,240

Contact Specialist

Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com
 

Design

London Auction 13 November 2024