This is therefore a tribute to the remarkable, many-sided work of an Italian designer who has achieved all manner of success on both the small scale (eight Compasso d’Oro awards, and objects and furnishings that have become icons in homes and offices around the world, often anticipating or revolutionising tastes and styles), and on the large scale (conference centres, trade fair venues and museums from Japan to the USA, Germany and Australia and, in 2012, the Department of Islamic Art – a golden wave for the Louvre in Paris).

Curated by Deyan Sudjic, director of the London Design Museum, the exhibition aims to focus attention on the need for, and on the subversive and redeeming role of, beauty. Hence the subtitle “Italian Beauty”. The installation design is by Mario Bellini himself, for ever since 1962 he has always been keen on staging exhibitions, mainly of art and architecture.