Designer
Mario Bellini
Mario Bellini (born 1 February 1935) is an Italian architect and designer. He graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1959 and built a career spanning architecture, exhibition design, product design and furniture during Italy's…
Biography
Background
Mario Bellini (born 1 February 1935) is an Italian architect and designer. He graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1959 and built a career spanning architecture, exhibition design, product design and furniture during Italy's economic boom.
Signature Style
From 1963 Bellini was a consultant to Olivetti, shaping machines such as the Programma 101, the Divisumma 28 calculator and the Praxis 35 typewriter. His furniture shares the same sculptural, tactile thinking — soft modular volumes and leather used as structure.
Notable Works
- Cab chair for Cassina (1977), the first chair with a free-standing leather structure
- Camaleonda modular sofa for B&B Italia, shown at MoMA in 1972
- Olivetti Programma 101 and TCV 250 terminal
- Architecture: Villa Erba in Cernobbio, NGV International in Melbourne, the Louvre's Department of Islamic Art (with Rudy Ricciotti)
Legacy
Winner of eight Compasso d'Oro awards and the Triennale di Milano's Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement, Bellini has 25 works in MoMA's permanent collection; MoMA held a retrospective of his career in 1987. He edited Domus from 1985 to 1991.
Collections
Products
Camaleonda Modular Sofa
Mario Bellini's modular capitonné sofa, 2020 version, with a layered interior that comes apart
684 Armchair
Soft upholstered armchair by Mario Bellini, 1973, with optional casters; Cassina.
La Rotonda Table
Round table by Mario Bellini, 1976: three crossing solid wood legs, glass, wood or marble top.
La Basilica Table
Solid ash table by Mario Bellini, 1976, with pillar-like legs in 6- and 8-leg versions; Cassina.
Amanta Sofa
Three-module sofa by Mario Bellini, a 1966 design reissued by HAY, 238 cm wide in five shell colours
Amanta Armchair
Single-module lounge chair by Mario Bellini, a 1966 design reissued by HAY, in five shell colours
Baby Cab Chair
Small saddle-leather chair, a scale reduction of Mario Bellini's Cab (1977), by Cassina.
Cab Night Bed
Leather bed with saddle stitching and an upholstered or wall-fixed headboard, by Mario Bellini.
Camaleonda x Stella McCartney
Mario Bellini's Camaleonda sofa system in a special edition with Stella McCartney's S-Wave fabric.
Cab 413 Cowhide Chair
Free-standing saddle-leather chair on a black steel frame by Mario Bellini, 1977; Cassina.
Cab 412 Chair
Saddle-leather dining chair by Mario Bellini, 1977, in Standard and Maxi sizes; Cassina.
Cab 410 Stool
Saddle-leather stool on a black steel frame with footrest by Mario Bellini, 2008; Cassina.
