Modernist Sof
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
People Also Browsed
20th Century South African Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Antique 1670s Italian Cabinets
Ivory, Ebony
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s French Space Age Architectural Elements
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century Zimbabwean Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
Bronze
Antique 1870s Nautical Objects
Wood
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century African Tribal Decorative Bowls
Wood, Reclaimed Wood
Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Wall-mounted Sculptures
Rattan, Wood
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Card Tables and Tea Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Prints
Paper
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
Enzo Mari for sale on 1stDibs
Enzo Mari was an influential industrial designer and a beloved curmudgeon who revered Marxism. His vintage mid-century modern designs are simple, functional and poetic. Widely known Mari-designed objects include desk accessories, such as the Formosa perpetual wall calendar, vases, cocktail tables and chandeliers.
Enzo Mari's work is embedded within the city of Milan, the Italian capital of all things design. In fact, the traffic bollards he devised are part of the city itself: Shaped like "panettone" cakes, they simultaneously direct traffic and provide seating for pedestrians.
In 1974, Mari published Autoprogettazione? (roughly translated as self-design), a Marx-inspired, anti-industrial, do-it-yourself handbook for the everyday person to use to build furniture without the assistance of a glitzy designer or knowledge of complex joinery. Mari’s intent with the publication was to remove the alienation of the creator and manufacturer from the end product by teaching anyone to develop a critical eye for production.
Artek relaunched kits based on the blueprints in the manual in an exhibition at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in 2010. The subsequent collectability of his work was reportedly irksome for Mari because he abhorred the industrial production for which he was becoming known.
Mari’s meager upbringing heavily influenced his politics, and even in childhood, he would come up with ingenious ways to support the family financially. As a designer, the desire to envision and build significant pieces was more important to Mari than devising new marketing and retail sales tactics. He optimistically believed objects could change the world. This view went against the rising consumer mania for every next trend that surfaced in the late 20th century. Not surprisingly, his ecological and economical stance led him to produce fewer objects.
Mari's philosophy did not stop people from desiring his creations, nor prevent other designers from wanting to collaborate with him. Following World War II, he worked for companies like Danese, Olivetti, Artemide, Driade and Alessi, who brought his prodigious designs to the public, and Mari’s work was widely celebrated.
The Golden Compass, Italy's highest honor for industrial design, was awarded to Mari four times before he died from COVID in 2020, and New York’s Museum of Modern Art has a permanent collection of his objects on display.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Enzo Mari decorative objects, folk art and serveware.