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.
"Day-Night" Daybed by Enzo Mari for Driade, Italy, 1970s
By Driade, Enzo Mari
Located in Milan, IT
Rare "Day-Night" sofa bed by Enzo Mari for Driade. Brown lacquered steel frame hosts a revolving backrest and a single bed covered mattress. First "convertible" piece of furniture d...
Steel
Enzo Mari NOS The Box chair in orange for Aleph Atlantide Driade 1995
By Enzo Mari, Driade
Located in Skokie, IL
Enzo Mari NOS model "Box chair" in orange manufactured by Aleph Atlantide (Driade), Italy, 1995 The Enzo Mari NOS model "The Box" chair, manufactured by Aleph Atlantide (Driade) in ...
Steel
Daybed by Edoardo Gellner, Italy 1970
By Edoardo Gellner
Located in Boom, Vlaams Gewest
This elegant daybed was designed by Italian architect and designer Edoardo Gellner around 1970 and perfectly reflects the refined modernist spirit of t...
Leather, Textile, Wood
"Elisa" Outdoor Armchair Designed by Enzo Mari for Driade
By Enzo Mari, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Elisa" is an outdoor armchair, designed by Enzo Mari and manufactured by Driade, featuring a structure made of steel with protective cataphoresis treatment, finished in black-brown ...
Steel
Day Bed In Wicker, 1970s
Located in Roma, RM
Day Bed In Wicker, 1970s Product Details Dimensions: 200 W x 68 H x 93 D cm The mattress/cushion is not included, the price refers to the daybed without the cushion. If you are inte...
Metal
Lacquered wooden bamboo effect daybed - 1970s
Located in Roma, RM
Made of black lacquered wood with bamboo effect and woven rattan covering.
Rush, Wood
$1,944 / item
H 30.9 in W 29.1 in D 61.8 in
"Tokyo-Pop" White or Black Monobloc Daybed Designed by T. Yoshioka for Driade
By Tokujin Yoshioka, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Tokyo-Pop" is a white or black anthracite polyethylene monobloc iconic daybed, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka and manufactured by Driade. White version ...
Plastic
$625 / item
H 32 in W 17 in D 17.25 in
Enzo Mari NOS The Box chair in blue for Aleph Atlantide Driade 1995
By Enzo Mari, Driade
Located in Skokie, IL
Enzo Mari NOS model "Box chair" in blue manufactured by Aleph Atlantide (Driade), Italy, 1995 The Enzo Mari NOS model "The Box" chair, manufactured by Aleph Atlantide (Driade) in It...
Steel
1970s surrealist bronze daybed by Victor Roman
By Victor Roman
Located in Paris, FR
Burnished bronze structure with a surrealist ornementation Synthetic fur Signed and numbered. Limited edition of 8 + 4 AP of a model created in the 1970's by the sculptor Victor Roman. Victor Roman was born in 1937 in Martinis in Romania. In 1950, he leaves his village to to go high-school in Tirgu-Mures. He then studies at the Fine Arts Institute Nicolae Grigorescu...
Bronze
$7,470 / item
H 32.6 in W 62.9 in D 31.5 in
"Elisa" Outdoor Two-Seat Sofa Designed by Enzo Mari for Driade
By Enzo Mari, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Elisa" is an outdoor two-seat sofa, designed by Enzo Mari and manufactured by Driade, featuring a structure made of steel with protective cataphoresis treatment, finished in black-b...
Steel
Superstudio “Quaderna” Daybed for Zanotta, 1970
By Superstudio, Zanotta
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Superstudio “Quaderna” Daybed for Zanotta, black leather, Itay, 1970 The creative Italian collective Superstudio conceived the "Quaderna" series for Zanotta in 1970, bringing a disr...
Leather, Wood
Enzo Mari Driade Sof Sof Chair in Graphite Gray, 1972
By Enzo Mari, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Made by Driade in 1972, Sof Sof reflects the essential elegance of the design by Enzo Mari. Structure made of steel rod finished in graphite gray color epoxy p...
Steel
Tokyo Pop Daybed White By Driade
By Driade
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The Tokyo-Pop collection marks, in 2002, the debut on the international scene by Tokujin Yoshioka, now considered one of the masters of contemporary design. The sofa, the armchair and especially the day-bed and the stool, forget the banality of rotational molding to become sculptures. Unforgettable and unusual shapes.The Tokyo-Pop collection marks, in 2002, the debut on the international scene by Tokujin Yoshioka, now considered one of the masters of contemporary design. The Driade Tokyo...
Polystyrene
Daybed, Effe Designed by Enzo Mari, Italy, 1973
By Enzo Mari
Located in Stockholm, SE
Daybed, Effe. Designed by Enzo Mari for the Metamobile series for Simon International, Italy, 1973. Pine and cotton covered mattress. From a very small series production. Dimen...
Cotton, Pine