Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
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.
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Steel, Iron
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Plastic
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Porcelain
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Onyx
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Travertine, Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Industrial Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Plastic
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1980s Italian Minimalist Vintage Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Enzo Mari Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Wrought Iron