Gio Ponti In The American West

Gio Ponti in the American West The only book devoted to the sole building ever built in the United States by the mid-century Italian master architect and designer, whose brand had a cult following and ever growing popularity. Opened in 1971, Denver Art Museum's north building, a seven-story structure - with its distinctive cut-out roofline, narrow windows, and an exterior covered with more than a million custom-made glass tiles - was one of the first high-rise museums. After a closure for extensive renovations, the museum is reopening the Ponti building, which will include new architecture and design galleries featuring an exhibition of Ponti-designed objects from the Denver Art Museum and local collections. The book will include both recent and historic photography, including many architectural details, and tell the story of how Gio Ponti, at the end of his long and remarkable career, created an architectural icon in the American West. Taisto Makela, former chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Colorado-Denver, contributes an inn-depth illustrated history of the building. Darrin Alfred, Denver Art Museum Curator of Architecture and Design, writes about Ponti's design work using objects from the Denver Art Museum collection as examples. Architect Jorge Silvetti writes about his admiration for Ponti's masterpiece from his perspective as one of the architects in charge of the renovations. Published with Rizzoli Electra Hardcover, 160 pages, 9 x 12 in. 102 color illustrations, 55 b&w illustrations ISBN: 9780847868964