At the age of 88, Enzo Mari, one of the greatest masters of twentieth-century Italian design lef us, only two days after the inauguration of his great monographic exhibition curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist at the Triennale of Milan. Winner of five Golden Compass, author of masterpieces with which we are all familiar with - from the Putrella centrepiece to the Timor perpetual calendar, from the 16 Animals to the In Attesa watepaper basket - Mari was first and foremost a theoretical voice, design consciousness and a guide for his contemporary designers: a figure who devoted himself with determination to the relationship between art and industry, without ever neglecting his ideological and political vision. Enzo Mari has deepened aspects related to psychology, child psychology and visual perception, producing design that focuses on meaning and not effect, without ever neglecting a certain aesthetic beauty. We remember his Autoprogettazione (self design) projects and books such as The Apple and the Butterfly, The Chicken and the Egg, The bag with no handle.
Born in 1932, he lived in Milan where he trained in art and literature at the Brera Academy. His activity ranges from industrial design - collaborating with the greatest Italian brands including Danese, Driade, Zanotta, Alessi, Magis - to painting, graphics and installations. He has been an active component of movements such as Arte Programmata together with Bruno Munari and Gruppo Nuova Tendenza. Professor at the Polytechnic of Milan and at the School of the Humanitarian Society of Milan, he was life companion of art curator Lea Vergine and father of four.