Collection: Mario Bellini

Born in Milan, Italy in 1935. One of Italy's most versatile and influential designers. After studying architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan, he served as the head of design at the Rinascente department store from 1961 to 1963. Around the same time, he established an architectural firm with Marco Romano. In 1963, he became a design consultant for Olivetti, known for its typewriters, and worked on the development of calculators and typewriters. During this time, he designed the world's first personal computer, the P101, one of Bellini's most famous projects. After that, he created many masterpieces, including furniture for Cassina and B&B Italia, electrical products for Brionvega (an Italian broadcasting equipment manufacturer) and Yamaha, and lighting for Artemide, Flos, and Arco. In 1978, he signed a long-term contract with Renault of France to develop new cars, and began to work on full-scale car design. From 1986 to 1991, he served as the chief editor of the architecture and design magazine Domus, which was founded in 1928. In 1987, following on from the studio he had opened in the 1960s, he established Mario Bellini Associati Srl (now Mario Bellini Architects). He has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d'Oro in 1962, 1964, and 1970. He is known worldwide as a master of Italian industrial design, and many of his works are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Although he could be said to have been a late bloomer in architecture, his activities since the 1990s have been remarkable, leaving behind a legacy of outstanding architectural designs, including the trade fair venue Villa Erba on Lake Como and the Milan Fairgrounds.