Mario Bellini

Mario Bellini, born in Milan in 1935, is one of the most influential designers of the 20th and 21st centuries. After studying architecture at the Politecnico di Milano he began working early on in both product and furniture design; from 1963 onward, he designed his own pieces, which made him internationally renowned – including the iconic leather chair Cab 413 for Cassina from 1977/79, which is still considered a design classic today.

Parallel to his own work Bellini worked as a design consultant for Olivetti from 1963 to 1991 and for Renault from 1978 to 1982. In 1973 he founded his own architecture and design firm, "Studio Bellini," in Milan. In the 1980s his focus increasingly shifted to architecture, with projects on several continents - including the Portello exhibition centre in Milan, the Tokyo Design Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and the Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt.

Bellini was also a dedicated teacher: he taught in Venice, Vienna, at the Domus Academy and in 1995, as a professor of architecture at the University of Genoa. As editor-in-chief of the magazine Domus (1986–1991), he played a key role in shaping international design and architecture discourse.

Bellini received numerous awards for his work—including the Compasso d'Oro, which he received eight times, as well as the Italian President's Gold Medal and the Ambrogino d'Oro from the city of Milan. In 1987, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a major retrospective exhibition on him—25 of his works are part of the MoMA's permanent collection.

Mario Bellini represents a design philosophy that combines form, function and cultural depth—be it in architecture, technology, or furniture. His works are exhibited worldwide and are as groundbreaking as ever.