Clarity, Unity and Total Visibility in the Modern Office
Gio Ponti's Vembi-Burroughs offices in Genoa and Turin
Ponti's designs are celebrated for their careful considerations of how space and furniture are truly inhabited and used by people. For many of his architectural projects, he also designed and furnished the interiors. His design of the Vembi-Burroughs offices in Genoa and Turin employed large, open rooms, glass doors and partitions and playful, responsive furniture to connect and enliven the work spaces. He asserted that an architect had to "imagine for each window, a person at the sill, for each door, a person passing through." The present lot, a secretarial desk from the offices, is notable for its lightweight structure, similar to his iconic Superleggera chair, its curved form and overall convivial nature.
More Works from the Vembi-Burroughs offices
109
Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasetti
lounge chair from Vembi-Burroughs, Genoa
estimate: $30,000–40,000
result: $36,000
197
Gio Ponti
executive desk from Vembi-Burroughs, Genoa
estimate: $40,000–60,000
result: $50,000
112
Gio Ponti
console desk from Vembi-Burroughs, Genoa
estimate: $7,000–9,000
result: $9,000
111
Gio Ponti
executive desk from Vembi-Burroughs, Genoa
estimate: $40,000–50,000
result: $78,000
110
Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasetti
armchair from Vembi-Burroughs, Genoa
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $18,000
