Portrait of Italian modernist and art deco designer Pietro Chiesa holding a star in front of his eye and wearing a bow tie

Pietro Chiesa

Italian modernist designer best known for his glass furnishing pieces

Pietro Chiesa (born 1892, Milan–died 1948, Paris) was a leading Italian Modernist and Art Deco designer best known for his artistic glass furnishing pieces. He belonged to the Swiss Ticino family of artists. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and then trained as an apprentice at the studio of furniture designer Giovanni Battista Gianotti. In 1921, he opened his own studio in Milan, the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, and showcased his work at the seminal 1925 Paris Exposition. While running the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, he also completed some major projects, such as designing and crafting the windows for the Trieste Stock Exchange and those for the ocean liner Conte di Savoia. read more

In 1925, he exhibited his work for the first time at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. In 1927, Chiesa partnered with a number of prominent Milanese architects and designers, including Michele Marelli, Gio Ponti, Tomaso Buzzi, Emilio Lancia, and Paolo Venini, to cofound Il Labirinto, a collaborative effort that produced highly creative furnishings in a style that came to be known as the Novecento.

In 1932, Gio Ponti approached Pietro Chiesa to join him and Luigi Fontana—who were partners of Luigi Fontana SA, one of the largest manufacturers artistic stained-glass products in Italy–to become the company’s artistic director. In 1933, Pietro Chiesa merged the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa with Luigi Fontana SA, and together, Chiesa, Luigi Fontana, and Gio Ponti formed Fontana Arte which specialized in furniture, lighting, glass windows, and furnishing accessories.

It was during Chiesa’s tenure as artistic director of Fontana Arte that he created hundreds of extremely creative pieces—all bearing his imprimatur of the highest excellence in glass craftsmanship and the techniques he applied to modern materials. His most well-known pieces include the Fontana table, which was made from a single band of bent clear glass; the Cartoccio vase; and the lacquered brass Luminator floor lamp. Despite the obvious modernity of most of his pieces, one can see how Chiesa was influenced by the classical forms. He also created what would become Fontana Arte’s signature colors of the time, deep blue and green, which Chiesa integrated successfully into many of his creations.

Pietro Chiesa remained artistic director of Fontana Arte, until his unexpected death in Paris in 1948, and his artistic impact deeply influenced Max Ingrand, who became artistic director of Fontana Arte after his death.

For more information on Pietro Chiesa, please visit the following:
Pietro Chiesa at Fontanaarte
Pietro Chiesa at Pietrochiesa.com

Last updated: February 6, 2020

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Estate - fabric pattern

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Legge Mediterranea fabric pattern

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Ceiling light mod. 1874 by Fontana Arte

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Fontana Arte Pendant light model 2098

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Rare illuminated mirror, model 2044

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Beige mirror model 2273 by Fontana Arte

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Coffee table no. 1101

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Omai - Table lamp with vase, model 2260

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Dining chairs model 111 - set of 6

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Desk/vanity

Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte
Mirror, model 2273

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Vase/candleholder, mod. 2329

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Rare coffee table

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Bar cart

Gio Ponti and Paolo de Poli
Blue vase

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Chiavi e pistole - chair

Max Ingrand
Brass table lamp

Gio Ponti
Glass coffee table

Gio Ponti
Luna - lamps from Villa Arreaza, Caracas

Max Ingrand
Table lamp model 2206

Gio Ponti
Armchair, Hotel Parco dei Principi, Rome

Gio Ponti
Luna - pair of lamps, from Villa Arreaza

Gio Ponti
Balletto Alla Scala fabric

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Balletto Alla Scala fabric - burgundy

Gio Ponti
Headboard and Daybed

Gio Ponti
Cabinet and Sideboard for Singer & Sons

Gio Ponti
Gatto - (cat)

Maxi Ingrand
Oval mirror made by Fontana Arte

Gio Ponti
Rare chair for Vembi Burroughs

Gio Ponti
Pair of armchairs model 504

Gio Ponti and Paolo de Poli
Uccello - (bird)

Gio Ponti and Paolo de Poli
Cavallo - (horse)

Gio Ponti
Poesia del Mare–turquoise fabric pattern

Gio Ponti
Poesia del mare-black & white pattern

Gio Ponti
Diavolo - decorative objects

Gio Ponti
Set of 4 dining chairs model 646/2

Max Ingrand
Arlecchino - mirror

Gio Ponti
Set of 6 dining chairs model 646/2

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Cristalli fabric pattern

Gio Ponti
Estate - fabric pattern

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Legge Mediterranea fabric pattern

Gio Ponti
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bibliography

Franco Deboni

Fontana Arte. Giò Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand

Umberto Allmandi

Turin, Italy (2013)

 

Pietro Chiesa

Custom Built: The Concepgt of Unique Italian Design

Charta

Padova, Italy (2003)

 

Mario Bettinotti

Vent’anni di movimento operaio genovese: Pietro Chiesa, Giuseppe Canepa, Lodovico Calda

Edizioni dell’A.N.S.

Milan, Italy (1932)