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Mario Bellini
Born in Milan in 1935, Mario Bellini is one of the most multifaceted Italian figures in the history of design and architecture. Known in the world of furniture for iconic creations including the Le Bambole sofa for Cassina (1972), and the Area lamp for Artemide (1970), the first phase of his career (after graduating from the Polytechnic in 1959), was actually linked to Olivetti. Among the objects he designed for the Ivrea-based company — of which he became chief design consultant in 1963 — the Programma 101 stands out for its futuristic shape, commonly considered to be the first personal computer in history. The presence of Bellini in the 1972 exhibition at the MoMA in New York, “Italy. The New Domestic Landscape”, marked the international success of Bellini, who exhibited the eccentric Kar-a-sutra, a pioneer of the minivan, made comfortable by large windows and modular padded seats. Bellini's activities are various: from 1985 to 1991 he was the director of Domus magazine, while from the 90s onwards his activity has focused on large scale international buildings projects: from the new headquarters of the Islamic Arts Department of the Louvre Museum in Paris, (2012) to the Milanese project of the MiCo, Congress Center (2012).
