Enzo
Mari

Enzo
Mari

Italian, 1932 — 2020


A precursor of "do it yourself" design, Enzo Mari is considered one of the great post-war theorists in his field. Influenced by Marxist theories, he wants to democratize furniture design by forging direct links between designers and consumers.

Mari applies this to the design of working methods tried out by artists, aiming to free the individual from work and its alienation. Early in his career, he took an active part in the kinetic movement, studying light, optical phenomena and the perception of space and colour, even founding the Nuovo Tendenza movement in 1963 with Getulio Alviani and Bruno Munari. His strutture (structures), made in their hundreds, are based on a square volume of endless optical and plastic possibilities.

Mari's work, including the sculpture Struttura n. 725/B, will be shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the “Au-delà de la couleur” (“Beyond Colour”) exhibition at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes in June 2021.

Enzo Mari's artwork