Pietro Chiesa

Pietro Chiesa (1892–1948) was one of the most renowned designers of Italian Art Deco. Born in Milan to a family of Ticinese origin, he apprenticed under the glassmaker Giovanbattista Gianotti before opening his own workshop in 1921, the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, specializing in glassworking. Through this studio he produced furniture and lighting pieces that were presented at major international exhibitions, including the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925. Another important area of his activity was the creation of stained-glass windows, among them those for the Ministry of Industry in Rome (designed by the painter Mario Sironi), the Vittoriale of Gabriele d’Annunzio, and the ocean liner Conte di Savoia. Strongly influenced by the Novecento movement—launched in the 1920s by Gio Ponti as an Italian interpretation of French Art Deco, emphasizing the revival of neoclassical details—Pietro Chiesa in turn earned the esteem of Ponti himself, who between 1932 and 1933 appointed him artistic director of the newly founded FontanaArte, established by Ponti together with Luigi Fontana. The Bottega di Pietro Chiesa was thus absorbed into this new venture, which gradually specialized primarily in lighting. The author of more than 1,500 prototypes for FontanaArte, Chiesa chose to treat glass as a precious and refined material, enhanced through complex and sophisticated craftsmanship. Emblematic in this respect is his Cartoccio vase (1932), characterized by richly curved folds. At the same time, his forms became increasingly pure and essential, as exemplified by the iconic Luminator lamp (1932).