Mario Bellini
Born in Milan in 1935, Mario Bellini is regarded as one of the major figures of Italian design in the second half of the twentieth century After graduating from the Politecnico di Milano in 1959, he developed a multidisciplinary approach that combined architecture, furniture design, industrial design and exhibition design
Leading architect and designer of contemporary Italian design
Born in Milan in 1935, Mario Bellini is one of the leading figures of Italian design from the second half of the 20th century. A graduate of the Politecnico di Milano in 1959, he developed a multidisciplinary approach from the 1960s onwards, combining architecture, furniture, industrial design and exhibition design.
His work is distinguished by a constant exploration of materials, comfort and modularity. Mario Bellini played an active role in the evolution of Italian design during the 1960s and 1970s, a period marked by the emergence of new industrial processes and a profound transformation of domestic spaces.
From 1963 onwards, he worked closely with Olivetti, designing several machines that became icons of Italian industrial design, including the Divisumma calculators and the TCV-250 video terminal, now held in the collections of the MoMA in New York.
One of Mario Bellini’s most sought-after creations is the modular “Camaleonda” sofa.
Alongside his work as an industrial designer, Mario Bellini developed several major designs for armchairs, sofas and vintage furniture for C&B Italia and later B&B Italia, including the “Camaleonda”, “Le Bambole”, “Amanta” and “Gli Scacchi” collections. These creations helped redefine Italian lounge furniture through lower, softer and more modular forms.
The “Le Bambole” sofa, an iconic creation by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, became a landmark of 1970s Italian design.
His vintage armchairs and modular sofas are now among the most sought-after creations of 1970s Italian design. Bellini’s work is characterised by particular attention to generous volumes, deep seating and the new industrial materials used in contemporary furniture.
His work is not limited to furniture. Bellini also designed lighting, electronic equipment, audio systems, automobiles and exhibition spaces for numerous Italian and international companies, including Cassina, Vitra, Yamaha, Renault, Artemide and Flos.
From the 1980s onwards, he devoted more of his work to architecture. His projects include the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre in Paris, the Tokyo Design Center, the Milan Convention Centre, as well as several cultural and commercial buildings in Europe, the United States and Asia.
Awarded the Compasso d’Oro eight times, Mario Bellini is today considered one of the most influential Italian designers of his generation. Twenty-five of his creations are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which dedicated a major retrospective to his work as early as 1987.