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About this product
Architonic ID: 1001979
Year of Launch: 2002
A highlight of Cassina’s catalogue since 1957, the Superleggera represents the perfect outcome between the creative imagination of the architect Gio Ponti, and Cassina’s manufacturing excellence, an undisputed icon that is both of-the-moment and pays tribute to traditional artisanal skills. Superleggera demonstrates the constructive prowess of the Cassina craftsmen: the challenge they faced, of making an extra-light chair, was overcome with the Superleggera’s legs having a cross-section of just eighteen millimetres, the whole weighing a mere 1,700 grams While the frame exploits the inherent lightness and flexibility of ashwood, the seat surround is in beech, which is more close-grained and stronger. The wood parts are created by machine, and hand-finished, glue being applied with a brush, the excess being wiped off, and the seat being hand-woven. Thus do crafts expertise and industrial innovation come together in what we could call a “prime object”, informed by the chair-making traditions of Chiavari, in Liguria, northern Italy. The Superleggera is available both in the classic version or with coloured legs, as well as with a padded seat.
Concept
Cassina presents two new re-editions of the iconic 699 Superleggera chair designed by Gio Ponti for the Cassina I Contemporanei Collection. Alongside the current natural ash-wood, black lacquered and white lacquered chairs with an Indian cane seat, new variants taken from Cassina’s late 1950’s production are available with colourful padded seats in removable leather or fabric. This version, with 450 possible combinations, has a natural ash-wood frame that can be open pore varnished in black or white, elegantly revealing the true essence of the wooden structure.
The second re-edition, inspired by a model designed by Ponti in the 1950’s for exhibitions but which was never serially produced, has a stunning bicolour black and white lacquered frame and padded white or graphite leather seat.
“In the darkness” said Ponti “it will be even lighter because it will be supported by just two legs".
An authentic masterpiece
Gio Ponti regarded the Superleggera chair as one of his three masterpieces (together with the Pirelli Tower in Milan and the Concattedrale of Taranto). It represents a symbol of perfection and balance between solidity and lightness, with a triangular section of just 18 millimetres and a minimum weight of 1,700 grams. It is the fruit of Gio Ponti’s research and the experimental and creative ability and expertise of Cassina and its craftsmen, who have produced this chair non-stop since 1957.
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Specifications
Material
Base solid wood, Seat woven natural fibre, Wood
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Designers
Gio Ponti
Italy
Gio Ponti was an icon of the modernist movement: the Italian designer, architect, artist and publisher contributed significantly to the worlds of architecture and design with his extensive work in fine furniture and ceramics, education, office and residential buildings, and everything in between. He is considered by many to be the father of modern Italian design. Gio Ponti: a biography Giovanni, known was Gio, Ponti was born in 1891 in Milan. It was there that he spent his childhood, and in 1921 he began to study architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. From 1923 to 1930 he served as the artistic director of the Richard-Ginori porcelain factory. In 1927, Ponti started his first architectural office, together with Emilio Lancia, and in 1928 he started the magazine Domus, which is still regarded as one of the most influential European magazines for architecture and design. He was also very influential during the period as a curator of the Milan Triennale. After his collaboration with Emilio Lancia had come to and end, upon completion of the Torre Rasini, he began to work as an architect together with the engineers Antonio Fornaroli and Eugenio Soncini. It was during this period that Ponti designed many of his most famous buildings, such as the Institute of Mathematics of the University of Rome, the Primo Palazzo Montecatini, the Casa Marmont and Villa Donegani in Bordighera. The most well-known of his architectural works is the Pirelli Tower, which Gio Ponti completed in his hometown of Milan in 1956. He continued to work well into his eighties, completing such impressive works as the Concattedrale Gran Madre di Dio in Taranto and the Denver Art Museum. Gio Ponti died in Milan on 16 September, 1979 having produced countless pieces of furniture, ceramics and thousands of other objects throughout his life. The Superleggera Chair by Gio Ponti In 1957, Gio Ponti designed his most famous piece of furniture, the Superleggera chair, for the manufacturer Cassina. The ‘ultra-light’ chair was an update on the traditional chairs that were produced in the Ligurian factory. They continue to be in great demand due to their simplicity and functionality, and to this day, the Superleggera chair with its sleek, understated shape is one of the most common chairs found in Italian restaurants. Gio Ponti’s Coffee Tables and Other Furniture In 1931, Ponti became artistic director of the design manufacturer FontanaArte, going on to design numerous objects for the company. Among the furniture pieces Ponti created were coffee tables such as the Tavolino 1932 coffee table, as well as many lamps, such as the Pirellone, the Pirellina, and Bilia lamps. Gio Ponti: architecture and design philosophy Ponti’s architecture and design embodied the Italian dolce vita. Influenced by his early work in ceramics, Ponti took responsibility for the design of every aspect of his buildings, including their interior design, lighting, and even glass and silverware. Gio Ponti broke through borders and traditions, choosing instead an interdisciplinary approach which combined design, art, craft and architecture. His fascination for a wide range of styles is evident from his designs for a wide variety of manufacturers, including Cassina and FontanaArte. © by Architonic