FontanaArte -  Bilia table lamp brass

Nothing more than a sphere, set in an apparently impossible feat of balance, upon a cone that serves as the base. One of Gio Ponti’s many compositional magic tricks, designed in 1932. The counterbalancing of two elementary geometric forms results in an original, perfectly proportioned object. An unpretentious composition, enriched by the extraordinary balance of its proportions and the stylish discretion of non-reflective materials.The light is diffused and valorized by the geometrical simplicity of the design. In designing Bilia, Gio Ponti imagined a smaller version in a range of “spray colours”. From those handwritten notes of the original project, FontanaArte presents Bilia Mini in new breathtaking chromatic variations.

Gio Ponti

Eclectic personality, since the beginning he has been active in the field of architecture, painting, graphics and scenography. He graduated in architecture at the Politecnico di Milano in 1920. In 1926 he founded - with the publisher Gianni Mazzocchi - the magazine Domus, which he directed until his death. In 1931 he was called to the artistic direction of Luigi Fontana and in 1932 - together with Pietro Chiesa - he founded the fontanaarte. He is among the promoters of the Compasso d'Oro Award and among the founders of the ADI, he directs on several occasions the programs of the Triennale di Milano and is a professor at the Politecnico di Milano. He designs numerous famous buildings - public and private - including the houses of Via De Togni, the tower house of Corso Venezia, the RAI and Ferrania palaces, the Littoria tower at Parco Sempione, the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan, the Taranto Cathedral, Villa Planchart in Caracas, the Museum of Modern Art in Denver. In the field of design are timeless furnishings, lamps and objects designed for fontanaarte including some pieces still in production, such as lamps 0024, Bilia, Pirellina, Pirellone and Coffee Table 1932.

FontanaArte

Fontana Arte specializes in glass processing and the manufacture of furnishing accessories. Founded in 1881 in Milan by Luigi Fontana, it began as an industry producing glass sheets for building purposes. It had Giò Ponti, Pietro Chiesa and Max Ingrand as artistic directors. It gained notoriety especially for its processing of curved crystal and production of lighting applies. Lighting is also design; numerous brands make it possible to combine functionality with aesthetics, making lamps, wall sconces, and spotlights true pieces of furniture. Among them is FontanArte, which has marked the history of lighting design.
In over than 80 years of activity, the brand has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d'oro Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, given by the ADI - Association for Industrial Design: "thanks to the collaboration with different designers, has been able to create a lively creative climate that has upgraded one of the historical names of Italian design.