Gio Ponti was born in Milan, Italy in 1891.
One of the most famous Italian architects, he was responsible for creating the Pirelli Tower and the Milan headquarters of the Montecatini company.
He believe in uniting the old and the new in his designs and was also a founding member of the Novecento movemet, which favored a return to traditional aesthetics of Italian art. Although he loved traditional materials he also used new techniques to make his products available for mass production.
He created the Superleggera, which was acclaimed as "the world's lightest chair". It was made of wood and wicker and designed after simple wooden chairs from a fishing village. His products varied greatly: from railway carriages to textiles, lamps, furniture, and bathroom suites; he did it all. He also edited Domus, an influential architectural magazine until his death in 1979.