Mid2Mod: Marco Zanuso

Marco Zanuso

Marco Zanuso (1916-2001) was an Italian architect and designer. He studied architecture at the Milan Polytechnic and opened his own design office in 1945.

He was a professor of architecture, design and town planning at the Polytechnic of Milan from 1945-1986. He was one of the founders of Associazione per il Disegno Industriale and helped organize the first post-war Triennale exhibitions in Milan. He was editor of Domus from 1947-1949 and then of Casabella from 1952-1956.

In 1948 Zanuso gained international recognition with his bent metal pieces at the Low-Cost Furniture competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. That same year, Arflex commissioned Zanuso to design its first furniture models using foam rubber upholstery. His Antropus chair was released in 1949, followed by the Lady armchair, which took first prize at the 1951 Milan Triennale.

During the 1960s, Zanuso collaborated with the German designer Richard Sapper,designing furniture for Kartell and televisions and radios for Brionvega. The Doney 14 television won the Compasso d'Oro in 1962. In the 1970s Zanuso and Sapper designed the Grillo folding telephone for Siemens.

From dwr.com