Giovanni “Gio” Ponti 1891-1979 was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer, and publisher who was interested in the arts from early childhood and excelled at painting with a career that spanned six decades. He became an architect in 1921 which was after the war had intervened and his education had been postponed. By the 1950s he had gained international fame with the design of the Pirelli Tower in Milan. During his career he designed more than 100 buildings in Italy and the world. He founded, in 1928, and directed almost all his life the magazine Domus which contributed largely to the Italian-style art of living. He taught at the Milan Polytechnic School from 1936 to 1961 training several generations of designers. And he contributed to the creation of one of the most important design awards: the Compasso d’Oro prize. In 1946 Ponti designed several series for Venini, becoming their first designer after WWII. His furniture and accessories designs are prized and sought after throughout the world.