Italian designer Enzo Mari has passed away in Milan at age 88. He died on October 19 at San Raffaele Hospital, where he was hospitalized. Only a few days ago a major retrospective of his work was inaugurated at Milan’s Triennale Museum, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli. “Bye Enzo. You're leaving like a Giant" wrote Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale, on Instagram. “With Enzo Mari a giant of Italian design of the twentieth century is leaving – wrote on Twitter Milan’s major Beppe Sala. “A world-famous artist, creator of legendary icons, five times Compasso d'Oro, a master who with his theoretical reflection has formed generations of designers. Milan will always remember him.” Enzo Mari's bond with Milan was very deep, as evidenced by the donation of his entire archive of drawings, models, prototypes, works of art, photographs, books and catalogs from 1952 to 2015) to the city.
In his prolific 60 years career Enzo Mari designed 1,500 products for brands such as Artemide, Alessi, Danese, Driade, and Zanotta. Born near Novara in 1932, he studied at the Brera Academy in Milan. Since the 1950s, Mari has participated in avant-garde movements such as Kinetic Art together with Bruno Munari. In his career as a designer, he promoted the idea of design as an activity aimed at transforming society. For his political and social commitment and the rigorous and formal elegance of his objects, Mari was a point of reference for the world of design. Alessandro Mendini once said about him: “Mari is the conscience of all of us, the conscience of the designers.”
Mari’s objects have become iconic. Among the best-known are the Putrella Tray for Danese, the Tonietta chair for Zanotta; the Piuma cutlery for Zani & Zani, and the Squeezer for Alessi. Another major project is The Autoprogrettazione manual, created by Enzo Mari in 1974 as a design guide to furniture that could be assembled from the most basic materials, using just a hammer and nails. Galleria Milano is also currently paying tribute to Enzo Mari with the exhibition “Hammer and Sickle. Three ways an artist can contribute to the class struggle,” first shown in the same gallery in 1973.
READ OUR 2013 INTERVIEW WITH ENZO MARI HERE
1952—
1952, Equipment for research on colour and volume relations paper and wood, 37.5 x, 36 x 33 cm (visor), 30 x 30 x 12 cm (squares), 10.5 x 10.5 x 10.5 cm (cubes), Private collection, Foto: Attributed to Paolo Monti
1957—
1957, 16 animals, interlocking game produced by Danese Milano in wood in 1959 and later in polyurethane, 5.5 x 36 x 27 cm, Danese Milano, Photo Federico Villa
1958—
1958 Iron section bar containers Putrella series, model A plain iron tray 46 x 13 x 8 cm Danese Milano Photo Fabio e Sergio Grazzani
1961—
1961, The Nature Series, No. 2: the pear with Elio Mari, silk-screen print on texilina paper, 112 x 112 cm, Danese Milano, Photo: Danese Milano
1963—
1963 Formosa, perpetual wall calendar in plain, anodized aluminium and, lithographed PVC, 31.5 x 31.5 cm, Danese Milano
1964—
The Nature Series, No. 5: the wolf with Elio Mari, silk-screen print on texilina paper, 56 x 112 cm, Danese Milano
The Nature Series, No. 5: the panther with Elio Mari silk-screen print on texilina paper, 56 x 112 cm, Danese Milano
1967—
1967, The Nature Series, preliminary sketches and variations for the goose with Elio Mari, 120 x 70 cm, Private collection, Photo Studio Enzo Mari
1969—
1969, L’uovo e la gallina, Emme Edizioni polychrome print on coated paper,, 215 x 215 mm, Archivio E. Mari, City of Milan, CASVA
1969, L’uovo e la gallina, Emme Edizioni polychrome print on coated paper,, 215 x 215 mm, Archivio E. Mari, City of Milan, CASVA
1974—
1974 , Atlante secondo Lenin: Social Plate, Economy Plate, Geography Plate, Culture Plate, History Plate with Francesco Leonetti Edizioni L’Erba Voglio, 1976, 6 lithograph panels, 33 x 45.5 cm each, Private collection
1975—
1975 , Il Lavoro, second panel of the Critica della Ricerca Intellettuale Separata, lithograph, 54 x 45 cm, Edizioni Il Lavoro Liberato, Private collection
1987—
1987, Allegory of death, 3 gravestones, toy cars, soil exhibited at Galleria d’Arte, Moderna, Republic of San, Marino, during the Modelli del reale exhibition,, 11 June – 24 August 1988, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome
1994—
1994, Per forza di levare, “broken vase”, the shape of the vase was obtained by hitting the porcelain cylinder with a mallet, 38 x Ø 12 cm, KPM Berlin, Private collection
2002—
2002, Scale 1:5 P chair kit (Mantua: Corraini Edizioni), steel frame with, photo, technical sheet, nails and balsa wood panels, 25 x 365 x 342 mm. Archivio E. Mari, City of Milan, CASVA
2009—
2009, Project 1810, il puzzle istruzioni per l’uso, Photo Gianluca Di Ioia - © Triennale Milano
2011 to 2012—
2011-2012 , “Qualche puntino sulle i” column eight final handwritten plates drawn by the author graphite and pastel on paper, 33 x 45 cm, published in Wired (from no.31 of September 2011 to no. 38 of Arpil 2012). Private Collection
by Silvia Barrila
