mid century furniture designers: Marco Zanuso

MARCO ZANUSO

Marco Zanuso is a renowned Italian designer widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of Italian Industrial Design, a revolution that drastically changed the way Italians lived and perceived everyday objects in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Milan in 1916 and studied architecture in his hometown before opening his own office. He received the Milan Triennale Gold Medal and collaborated with Architect Richard Sapper through a joint studio. Working alongside great architects and designers from the BBPR offices such as Franco Albini, Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni, and Marcello Nizzoli, he made a significant contribution to the development of the modern movement in the architecture and design field. He was one of the first architects to explore the use of industrial materials in designing objects that were created for mass consumption and everyday use. Additionally, he was the director of Domus magazine and Casabella, and a founding member of the ADI. In 1948, Pirelli created Arflex, a manufacturer to produce seating furniture made from foam rubber and industrial materials applied to home furniture, and appointed Zanuso responsible for its design. His outstanding work earned him many awards, such as 7 Compasso d’Oro awards, and his products are now exhibited in modern art museums all over the world. From 1966 to 1969, he was a cofounder and president of the "Associazione di Disegno Industriale ADI" and later went on to become a professor of Industrial Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic.