saint laurent exhibits gio ponti's historic plates at milan design week

GIO PONTI – Villa Planchart Exhibition at milan design week

Saint Laurent Rive Droite’s pavilion in the cloisters of San Simpliciano nods to Gio Ponti’s historic modernist architecture in Caracas. Curated by creative director Anthony Vaccarello for Milan Design Week 2024, the exhibition showcases a custom tableware collection originally conceived by the Italian architect and designer in 1953 for the Venezuelan Villa Planchart, alongside a collection of archives.

In collaboration with Ginori 1735, Saint Laurent has reintroduced twelve original plates from the Villa Planchart Segnaposto collection. Crafted using traditional techniques and enveloped with motifs nodding to the architectural design, the decorative porcelain plates are meticulously hand-painting at Ginori 1735’s Italian factory, preserving the essence of Ponti’s visionary design.

all images courtesy of Saint Laurent

saint laurent nods to the historic modernist villa in caracas

The Villa Planchart exhibition has been organized by Saint Laurent in collaboration with the Gio Ponti Archives and the Fundación Anala Y Armando Planchart. In 1953, Anala and Armando Planchart commissioned esteemed architect Gio Ponti to construct a modernist villa atop the highest hill overlooking the city of Caracas. In designing the interior, Ponti engaged Italian artisans renowned for their traditional craftsmanship, most notably Florentine manufacturer Ginori 1735, where he previously served as artistic director. Drawing from this experience, Ponti realized a set of porcelain tableware adorned with motifs emblematic of his architectural design. Among them, a sun, a crescent moon, a polar star, and elaborate iterations of the letter ‘A’ pay homage to the villa’s residents.

the exhibition sits in the cloisters of San Simpliciano