Also available as Art Edition (No. 1–1,000) including an exclusive, square format reproduction of the Arlecchino coffee table and a set of four numbered ocean liner interior prints. To study Gio Ponti ’s prolific body of work is to appreciate the clear, unifying vision behind a complex creative universe . A synthesis of the arts, his creations expand intuitively with the Italian grandeur and studied lightness that defined his iconic style. Ponti’s rare capacity to move seamlessly between scales allowed him to approach the design of a teaspoon with the same conviction as he did an entire city. He was as much an architect and designer as he was a publisher, poet, and man. A treasure in its own regard, his contribution is also a distinctive landmark of Italy’s mid-century Renaissance and the modernist values it sought to realize. This is the most comprehensive account of Ponti’s work to date , unprecedented in scale and scope. It tracks the development of his oeuvre over 6 decades, with 136 projects indexed and reproduced in high resolution, each object framed by the context in which Ponti had created it. Like windows onto his elusive life, unpublished materials and candid imagery create new dialogues between his famous masterpieces and his lesser-known feats . A rich layer of texts, featuring an extensive biographical essay by Stefano Casciani, was produced in close collaboration with the Gio Ponti Archives offering an intimate insight on his life’s work. Materializing Ponti’s core philosophy of modernity, this book presents architecture as a performing object, a "self-illuminating" stage for his humanistic art de vivre and boundless creativity. “TASCHEN comes through with Gio Ponti … Think of it not as a book but as a vehicle for an incredible journey.” ― The Los Angeles Times “…the iconic Italian architect and designer’s greatest works.” ― eveningstandard.co.uk “…a fascinating glimpse into the life and vast catalog of work of Italian architect Gio Ponti.” ― fastcompany.com “This prodigious volume features unpublished materials and candid imagery offering exciting new insight into both his well-known masterpieces and more obscure feats alike.” ― surfacemag.com “Gio Ponti offers a technicolor glimpse into the life and work of the godfather of Milanese design.” ― interviewmagazine.com “Gio Ponti aims to be the final say about the designer’s work and importance.” ― architectmagazine.com “…an absolute beauty about the refined Italian architect-designer who defined a vein of elegant, uncontroversial mid-century chic.” ― The Financial Times “…a tour de force investigation of the designer’s oeuvre.” ― architecturaldigest.com “There’s an irony here, that a prince of lightness such as Ponti should be remembered with something so massive, but it’s hard to do justice to his output in any other way… It successfully captures Ponti’s spirit.” ― The Observer “The book is full of revelations. But for those who know Ponti for his architecture and his furniture, the real surprise is the ways they came together in rooms that display his seemingly endless supply of creativity.” ― 1stdibs.com “The most resistant element is not wood, is not stone, is not steel, is not glass. The most resistant element in building is art. Let’s make something very beautiful.” ― Gio Ponti Ho iniziato molti anni fa a scrivere questo libro, seduto su una sedia che ho disegnato come omaggio alla Superleggera di Gio Ponti: la sedia che tutti i designer avrebbero voluto disegnare, come il grattacielo Pirelli è l'opera che ogni architetto moderno avrebbe voluto costruire. Anche raccontare la storia, la vita e il lavoro di Ponti - architetto, pittore, disegnatore, grafico, scrittore, giornalista, editore, poeta, designer, inventore - è un po' riscrivere quasi un secolo di storia d'Italia: o almeno l'Italia com'è stata consegnata alle generazioni successive da quella classe borghese e imprenditoriale illuminata con cui Ponti ha saputo così bene dialogare. E cioè quella classe dominante che ha visto nelle fortune e anche nelle disgrazie della storia la possibilità di un'evoluzione del nostro Paese verso la "modernità": ovvero l'idea di una società in cui cultura, economia, etica e politica fossero pure in contraddizione, ma che proprio da questa contraddizione nascesse la scintilla di una qualche utile innovazione per tutta la società. Quel sogno di modernità è stato interrotto dal declino della borghesia imprenditoriale, insieme al sistema industriale di cui si era nutrita: il sogno di Ponti invece continua ancora oggi, e queste pagine lo raccontano con precisione, semplicità e molta affezione. Per questo grande libro che nella sua forma finale è il risultato dell'intenso lavoro collettivo di molte persone appassionate, il più sentito, ideale ringraziamento va dunque proprio a Gio Ponti: che con il suo attivismo incontenibile, il suo genio multiforme, l'idea di una comunità di autori che insieme lavora a defin