Mario Bellini

Mario Bellini is one of Italy’s most renowned design talents. As an archi­tect, he has designed struc­tures around the world, such as the Tokyo Design Centre, the National Gallery of Victo­ria, and the Milan Conven­tion Centre. His illus­tri­ous oeuvre also moves far beyond archi­tec­ture — he’s a skilled indus­trial designer, urban planner, and furni­ture designer who has influ­enced all corners of the industry. 

Bellini began his foray into the design world as an archi­tect in the 1960’s, and by 1963 he started to incor­po­rate furni­ture and product design into his work. For nearly three decades, Bellini was the chief design consul­tant for Olivetti, where he created product designs for type­writ­ers, portable calcu­la­tors, and early computer consoles. Bellini’s master­ful under­stand­ing of form became evident in both his product and furni­ture work. Many of the best­selling designs from his early career, such as Le Bambole seating line for B&B Italia and the Cab chair for Cassina, continue to be produced.

With over 25 pieces of his indus­trial design in their perma­nent collec­tion, MoMA cele­brated Bellini’s contri­bu­tion to the design world with a 1987 retro­spec­tive of his work.