176: GIO PONTI, pair of Diamond lounge chairs from Villa Arreaza, Caracas < Important Design, 15 December 2011 < Auctions

Important Design

15 December 2011

Important Design

176

Gio Ponti
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pair of Diamond lounge chairs from Villa Arreaza, Caracas

Cassina
Italy, 1954
leather, upholstery, brass 31 h × 33 w × 34 d in (79 × 84 × 86 cm)

estimate: $30,000–40,000

result: $100,900

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Villa Arreaza by Gio Ponti In the 1950s Gio Ponti was given carte blanche on the architectural and interior design of three villas two in Caracas, Venezuela and one in Tehran, Iran. Villa Arreaza, in Caracas, also known as The Diamantina for the diamond motif on its exterior and interior walls, was one of these important villas. Commissioned by Blanca Arreaza in 1954, the villa took four years to complete. From the open floor plan, to the furnishings and décor, to items for daily use, Gio Ponti considered every aspect of the villa’s design. Ponti employed a bold color scheme of blues and whites alongside contrasting geometric patterns of diamonds, stripes and blocks of color which he applied to the walls, furniture and floors, alike. He used varied ceiling heights, folding walls and large windows to connect the interior of the villa to nature. Likewise the furnishings – modern and functional – added to the beauty and the comfort of the home. Dedicated to the idea of Joie de Vivre, Ponti endowed Villa Arreaza with life. Villa Arreaza was partially demolished and altered in the 1990s but a number of the furnishings have survived. The following collection of furniture comes from Ponti’s Villa Arreaza; they have remained in private and family collections until now.
Sold with a certificate of authenticity from the Gio Ponti Archives.
provenance: Blanca Arreaza, Caracas, Venezuela | Thence by descent
literature: Gio Ponti 1891-1979, Master of Lightness, Roccella, ppg. 68-71 discuss commission, ppg. 68, 70 illustrate in situ Gio Ponti: l’Arte Si Innamora dell’Industria, La Pietra, pg. 251 Gio Ponti: The Complete Work 1923-1978, Ponti, pg. 194 l’Arredamento Moderno, Aloi, pg. 248

Gio Ponti 1891–1979

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Gio Ponti excelled at painting as a child and expressed a fervent interest in the arts. Feeling that a career in architecture was preferable to that of a painter, Ponti’s parents encouraged him to pursue the former and in 1914 he enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. His studies were interrupted by war, and in 1915 he was forced to postpone his education. He served as a captain in the Pontonier Corps until 1919, earning multiple military honors. After graduating in 1921, Ponti married Giulia Vimercati, the daughter of local aristocracy and started an architecture firm. During this time, Ponti aligned himself with the neoclassical movement, Novecento and championed a revival of the arts and culture. In 1928, Ponti founded Domus, a periodical tailored to artists and designers, as well as the broader public. A shift occurred in the 1930s when Ponti took up a teaching post at his alma mater, the Politecnico di Milano. In search of new methods to express Italian modernity, Ponti distanced himself from the sentiments of Novecento and sought to reconcile art and industry. Together with the engineers, Eugenio Soncini and Antonio Fornaroli, Ponti enjoyed great success in the industrial sector, securing various commissions throughout Italy. In the 1950s, he gained international fame with the design of the Pirelli Tower in Milan and he was asked to be a part of the urban renewal of Baghdad, collaborating with top architects from around the world. His 1957 book, Amate l’architettura, is considered to be a microcosm of his work —an incredible legacy spanning art, architecture, industrial design, publishing and academia.

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