Incollect Magazine - Issue 14

Incollect Magazine 29 Hugo Portuondo, Portuondo What are the most sought-after Fontana Arte designs and why? In our opinion, the most prized Fontana Arte designs today are those created during the periods under the creative direction of Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, and, later, Max Ingrand, as they collectively define the company’s extraordinary relationship with glass and light. Ponti, who was instrumental in the early vision of Fontana Arte, helped establish the idea that glass could be used not only decoratively but architecturally, giving the company a refined and modern identity from the beginning. Chiesa’s work in the 1930s elevated this vision through remarkable technical mastery and sculptural clarity, creating pieces where the purity of the material itself became the design. Later, Ingrand’s lighting, in the 1950s and 1960s, brought a new scale and luminosity to the brand, producing chandeliers and fixtures that are monumental, yet always elegant. Model No. 1452 ceiling light by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Polished and beveled glass in five di erent colors, brass structure. Italy, circa 1953. Available from Portuondo on Incollect.com. Photo: courtesy Portuondo Rare Model No. 2459 chandelier by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Acid-etched satin glass, a ring of 16 chiseled glass tiles, nickeled brass structure. Italy, circa 1965. Available from Portuondo on Incollect.com. Photo: courtesy Portuondo