Gio Ponti: More Than One

Courtsey of Lars Müller Publishers

Gio Ponti (Milan, 1891–1979) was a central figure of Italian modernism, whose creative legacy defies confinement to any single field. From 1923 to 1930, Ponti served as artistic director of the now-iconic Italian tableware manufacturer Richard Ginori. In 1928, he founded Domus—the internationally renowned magazine which, apart from a brief hiatus in the 1940s, he directed for the rest of his life. In the postwar years, together with his associates Antonio Fornaroli and Alberto Rosselli, Ponti shaped the architectural identity of Milan while also working across the globe—from Caracas to Tehran, Denver to Islamabad, Eindhoven to Stockholm.

This book explores the many dimensions of Ponti’s contribution to the twentieth century and traces his enduring influence both in Italy and worldwide. Unlike other publications on Gio Ponti, it examines in depth each of the principal facets of his activity through rigorously researched essays that draw on previously unexplored sources. Each essay offers a focused “zoom-in” that enriches and complicates our understanding of Ponti’s work.

View of the Pirelli Tower under construction © Gio Ponti Archives / Archivio storico degli Eredi di Gio Ponti

While steering clear of the superficiality of a typical coffee-table book, the volume nonetheless celebrates the visual splendour of Ponti’s world. Originally published in Italian by Quodlibet in 2023, this edition has been reframed for an international audience with a revised introduction and new iconography, including a substantial photographic contribution by Paolo Rosselli—Gio Ponti’s grandson.

From L to R: Glasses designed by Ponti with Venini in 1952 for the 26th Venice Biennale. © Paolo Rosselli, Superleggera chair, designed for Cassina. © Gio Ponti Archives / Archivio storico degli Eredi di Gio Ponti, The main façade of the co-cathedral of Taranto, © Paolo Rosselli, Model in front of the Pirelli Tower, Life Magazine, December 1, 1961 © Mark Kauffman / via Getty ImagesMontedoria building, Milan, as seen from Piazza Caiazzo, © Paolo Rosselli, The full-scale prototype of the Linea Diamante produced by FCA Heritage being unveiled at the 2018 Grand Basel collectors ' event. © Paolo Rosselli 

About the editors:

MANFREDO DI ROBILANT holds a Ph.D. in the history of modern architecture from the Polytechnic of Turin, where he is Associate Professor of Architectural Design. He was Research Associate for the 14th Venice architecture Biennale, directed by Rem Koolhaas, and Visiting Scholar at CCA Montréal. His research interests focus on the relationship between utility and symbol in architecture. He is founder and partner of the architecture studio DAR architettura, with Giovanni Durbiano and Alessandro Armando.

MANUEL ORAZI is an editor at the Italian publishing house Quodlibet and is currently a visiting professor at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland. His research is embedded in the field of the history of twentieth-century architecture and the city. In 2021, he curated the exhibition Carlo Aymonino. Loyalty to betrayal (Electa, Milan 2021) during the Triennale of Milan. He collaborates regularly with the newspaper Il Foglio and with the magazines Log and Volume.

About the publisher: Lars Müller Publishers is an independent publisher based in Zurich specializing in architecture, design, contemporary art, photography, and society. Founded in 1983 by the Norwegian designer Lars Müller, the publishing house is globally renowned for beautiful, critically informed books supporting progressive research in architecture and design. Its purposeful program serves as a “school of seeing,” fostering fresh perspectives on the world we inhabit. Alongside fostering new voices and ideas, Lars Müller Publishers has championed 20th century design legacies, in part through its facsimile program, XX: The Century of Print.

GIO PONTI

MORE THAN ONE

Critic, Editor, Graphic Artist,

Architect, Product Designer

Edited by Manfredo di Robilant and Manuel Orazi

With texts by Elena Dellapiana, Fulvio Irace, Gabriele Neri, Manuel

Orazi, Francesco Parisi, Mario Piazza, Manfredo di Robilant, Paolo

Rosselli and Cecilia Rostagni

Design: Lars Müller Publishers

16,5 × 24 cm, 6 ½ × 9 ½ in

288 pages, 300 illustrations

Paperback

978-3-03778-763-2, English

August 2025

EUR 45.– USD 50.– GBP 40.–

For more information about this title and others from Lars Müller Publishers, please visit their site here. The publisher can also be found on Instagram here and on Facebook.