Mario Bellini
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Mario Bellini (February 1 1935) is a world renowned Italian designer and architect
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Biography
Mario Bellini graduated from the Politecnico di Milano - Faculty of architecture in Milan in 1959 and began working as an architect himself in the early Sixties. Like many other Italian architects, his activities range from architecture and urban planning to product and furniture design.
His early international success grew rapidly during the first two decades, especially in the design sector, and reached its peak in 1987 with the greatest acknowledgement expressed in a personal retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art of New York, which at the time already included 25 of his works in its Permanent Collection, including a remarkable set of Olivetti machines as well as the furniture for B&B and Cassina - such as the famous "Cab" chair - and the innovative office chairs designed for Vitra.
His career as a product and furniture designer began in 1963. From 1963 to 1991 he was chief design consultant for Olivetti. For many years he designed furnishing products and systems for B&B Italia and Cassina, TV sets for Brionvega, and hi-fi systems and electric organs for Yamaha. For 5 years he worked as an automobile design consultant with Renault. In 1972 he was commissioned to design and build the prototype of the Kar-a-Sutra mobile environment for the exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
He has also designed for Fiat and Lancia, lamps for Artemide, Erco and Flos, and office furniture for Vitra.
Other firms for whom he has designed and/or continues to design products include (in Italy) Acerbis, Bras, Driade, Candy, Castilia, Flou, Marcatrè, Meritalia, Natuzzi and Poltrona Frau; (in Belgium) Ideal Standard; (in Germany) Lamy and Rosenthal; (in Japan) Fuji and Zojtrushi; and (in the USA) Heller.
MBA's headquarters of some 1,500 sq.m in Milan were designed by Mario Bellini himself in the early 1990s, and today an average of 30 to 35 architects. In 1999, MBA obtained ISO 9001 quality certification.
He has taught in the major cultural centres in the world and has been awarded all the major international design and architecture prizes, 8 “Compasso d’oro” included. In December 2004 he was honored with the “Golden Medal” by Italian Republic President for his architectural and design work in the world.
From 1986 to 1991, he was editor of Domus, the prestigious international monthly magazine of architecture, design and art.
Architecture
Since the ‘80s, he has been increasingly successful in the field of architecture in
Europe, Japan, the United States, Australia and the Arab Emirates.
Among the major architectural creations of Bellini:
In Italy
- Museum of the City of Bologna, Italy, 2004 – under construction (competitionwinning project)
- New Cultural Centre of Turin, 2001- under construction (competition-winning project)
- New fair district of the Milan Trade Fair, 1997
- Villa Erba Exhibition and Congress Centre, Cernobbio (Como), 1990
- Thermoelectric power plant of Cassano d’Adda-Office building, 1990
Abroad
- Museum of Islamic Arts at Louvre Museum, Paris, 2005 – winning project of international competition. The museum is expected to be completed in 2009.
- National Gallery of Victoria extension and redevelopment, Melbourne, Australia, 2003
- Natuzzi Americas Headquarters, High Point, North Carolina, USA, 1998
- Essen International Fair Extension, Germany, 1998
- Arsoa Co./Cosmetics- Headquarters, Yamanashi, Japan, 1998
- Risonare Vivre Club Complex, Kobuchizawa, Japan, 1992
- Tokyo Design Center, Tokyo, Japan, 1992
- Yokohama Business Park, Yokohama, Japan, 1991
Among the most important projects:
- European Patent Office, L’Aja, Holland, 2004
- Cittanova 2000, Modena, Italy, 2003
- Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze-Bank-New H.Q., Italy,2003
- Stolitza Towers, Moscow, 1996
- Dubai Creek Complex , Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1994
- Goshikidai Marine Resort, Japan, 1993
In 2001, he won the competition to design a great Office Quarter in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 2002, he took part in the international competition by invitation for the Redevelopment of the Trieste seafront, Italy, winning for the “Ambito Stazione Marittima”, also taking part in the competition for the New International Trade Fair of Milan – Rho/Pero and, again subsequent to an international competition by invitation, he is one of three architects designated to design the Multifunctional Complex “MAB. Zeil Project” in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2003 he was one of three selected for the first place for the Redevelopment of the City Centre of Tian Jin in China and he won the competition for the Restoration and Redevelopment of the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse, Italy. In 2004 has been appointed for the urban redevelopment ex Foro Boario area, Verona (Italy). In 2005 - 2006 has been appointed by Genova High Tech Spa for the masterplan and for the architectural project of a large Scientific-Technological Park at Erzelli Hill, Genoa, Italy.
In 2007:
- Bellini wins the international competition by invitation for the total renovation of the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany
- He is invited to take part in to the Sheikh Zayed National Museum International Competition, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- He is appointed by Triennale of Milan for the exhibition design of a large exhibition devoted to the seventies
Exhibition design
Avid art lover and collector, he has been responsible for the exhibition design of many art exhibitions, among which:
- "The Treasure of St. Marco in Venice", Grand Palais, Paris, and the major museums around the world, 1984-87
- "Italian Art in the 20th Century", Royal Academy of Arts, London ,1989
- "The Renaissance from Brunelleschi to Michelangelo. The Representation of Architecture", Palazzo Grassi, Venice, then in Paris and Berlin, 1994-95
- "The Triumphs of Baroque. Architecture in Europe 1600-1750", Stupinigi Hunting Palace, Turin, 1999
- "Christopher Dresser. A designer at the Court of Queen Victoria", Triennale, Milan, 2001
Major Personal Exhibitions
- In 1987, the Museum of Modern Art in New York organised the exhibition “Mario Bellini: designer”, the first great retrospective on a living artist
- In 1996, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) held an exhibition of Bellini’s work as an architect.
- In 2000, the Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art of Trento, Italy held a personal show “Mario Bellini: a path between architecture, furniture and cars”
- In December 2003, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne reopened with a major exhibition on his work.
- In 2008 a major exhibition on Mario Bellini’s work will open, organized by the Triennale of Milan.
