FontanaArte.

FontanaArte

FontanaArte is one of the oldest Italian houses of lighting and glass objects, founded in 1932 in Milan by architect Gio Ponti and glass industrialist Luigi Fontana. The house holds a singular position at the intersection of Italian modernist architecture, the glass craft of Murano, and several major Italian design signatures — Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand, Gae Aulenti. LAPIERRE sources, electrically verifies, and restores vintage FontanaArte for the Paris and European market.

House history

Gio Ponti and Luigi Fontana founded FontanaArte in 1932 in Milan, in the lineage of the Italian modernist architectural movement. Pietro Chiesa held artistic direction from 1933 until his death in 1948. Max Ingrand took over from 1954 to 1964, a fertile period during which he signed a series of blown-glass lamps that became references (the 1853 wall light, several crystal pendants). Gae Aulenti, already recognised as an architect, took artistic direction from 1979 to 1996 — there she signed and edited sculptural pieces (Pirellone, Mezzoracolo, La Lune sous le Chapeau). The house remains active today, directed by Carlo Guglielmi since 2008.

Iconic pieces we source

• 0024 (1932): Gio Ponti table lamp, brass metal structure, blown crystal shade. Continuous edition since creation.
• 1853 (1954): Max Ingrand wall light, mouth-blown glass, brass structure. Circular form, diffuse light.
• Pirellone (1968): Gae Aulenti floor lamp, vertical lacquered metal structure, marble weighted base, cylindrical glass shade.
• Mezzoracolo (1992): Gae Aulenti lamp, sculptural sintered glass, lacquered base. Emblematic of Aulenti's directress period.
• Pietro Chiesa pieces: 1930s-40s table lamps, blown glass, patinated metal — collector pieces.

Recognising the authentic

Authentic FontanaArte bears the FontanaArte + Made in Italy marking, screen-printed or engraved on glass, on the metal base, or via an adhesive label. Vintage pieces feature mouth-blown crystal whose millimetre defects attest to handwork. Oven lacquers are thick in the original RAL palette. Pieces signed Max Ingrand often bear the FontanaArte logo stylised in relief on the glass. All pieces we offer are electrically verified and brought to European standards (CE, French plug) before delivery.

LAPIERRE process for this brand

Sourcing in Italy (Milan, Brianza) from specialised antique dealers and estates, sometimes in France from private collections that equipped design interiors in the 1970s-90s. Visual authentication, marking and wiring verification. Limited restoration: cleaning, polishing, electrical refurbishment. Original glass systematically preserved.

Request a search

Our FontanaArte sourcing is more sporadic than for series brands. If you're looking for a specific piece (Pirellone Aulenti, Max Ingrand lamp, Pietro Chiesa lamp), contact us — we maintain a waiting list and activate our Italian channels when a client specifies their request.