Gio Ponti

b.1891 November 18; d. 1979 September 15
Italy
Gio Ponti, an Italian pioneer of modern design, was born November 18, 1891 in Milan. After graduating from Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic Schoo)l in 1921, he went on to design hundreds of buildings before his death on September 15, 1979, but he was equally important for his promotion of innovative design serving as an artist, teacher, writer, publisher, and curator at various points in his career.  

In 1928 he founded Domus, an architecture and design magazine that he also edited until 1946. In 1933 Ponti he was appointed to the executive committee of the Fifth Milan Triennale which emphasized the work of young avant-garde architects, and from 1936 to 1961 he taught at his alma mater, the Milan Polytechnic School. 

His most famous building is probably the Pirelli Tower in Milan, completed in 1958. Ponti played a major role in the creation of the Modern skyline of Milan, but his work can be found not only throughout Italy, but across Europe and as far abroad as Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan   


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Giovanni Ponti