PAOLO DE POLI (1905-1996)

"If we can speak of an Italian art of enamel, it is thanks to De Poli...a sincere artist's life, a vocation which has found its modern expression in a difficult, ancient, and exquisite art- the art of enamel"- Gio Ponti

Inspiration struck Italian painter Paolo De Poli in the 1930s after visiting archaeological sites. Observing ancient forms and practices inspired him to pursue enameling, a traditional and ancient art form. De Poli established his studio, Smalti di De Poli, soon after in 1937. Shortly after, De Poli met Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti, and they began a decades long collaboration in the 1940s. Initially, their joint work focused on enameled furniture and decorative panels before later expanding to vases, bowls, trays, and other enamel on copper works. Ponti, already well established in his career, was turning his attention to the relationship between designers and manufacturers by the 1950s. Thus his relationship with De Poli was timely as De Poli executed many of Ponti's designs. Their influential animal series, comprised of expressive and abstracted animal forms is a result of Ponti cutting designs out of paper, and De Poli figuring how to manufacture in enamel. In 1944, their collaboration was exhibited at the Ferruccio Asta in Milan to great success. In 1950, their work was exhibited in Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today at the Art Institute of Chicago. This influential exhibit toured the United States for three years showcasing their prolific animal designs and spreading the awareness and popularity of Italian design.