Marco Zanuso, the architect with the soul of a designer

““There are no boundaries between craftsmanship and design. What we do on the model, the very same model that will be reproduced 50,000 times, involves all our handicraft, industrial, disciplinary and academic experience”

Designer, architect and urban planner, Marco Zanuso had a very special gift: he was able to reinvent everyday items into something new. He could imagine more attractive shapes and colours, improving things’ functionality. He focused on the object and changed it completely by using new materials and innovative technologies. He was driven by his creativity, desire to expriment, and deep knowledge of industrial processes. The very same qualities that made Zanuso one of Italy's design milestones. He worked with leading home decor companies, such as  Arflex, Brionvega, Borletti, Gavina, Bonacina, Kartell, and even Siemens. Together, they made the history of Design.

Zanuso was born in Milan in 1916. Since World War II, he was involved in the debate about the modern movement in architecture and design, along with the BBPR Studio group, Alberto Rosselli, Franco Albini, Marcello Nizzoli and the brothers Livio, Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni. He graduated in Architecture from Mian's Polytechnic, in 1939, and soon opened his own studio. From 1947 to 1949 he was editor-in-chief of Domus magazine, and later, editor for Casabella magazine. He was co-founder of ADI, Industrial Design Association, and of the Compasso d'Oro Award, which he received five times between 1956 and 1985. He also received the Gold Medal and the Grand Prix at the Triennale di Milano.

"I was really interested in changing my system. I deal once with an object, once another, because I find an interest in the diversity of the theme I choose.”    Marco Zanuso

When in 1948 Pirelli asked him to investigate the use of foam in furniture upholstery, Marco Zanuso did not hesitate. He borrowed this type of industrial processing and created innovative products with an unusual design. That is how the Antropus chair was born. Produced by Cassina, it was chosen as stage decoration for Thorton Wilder’s "The Antropus family" at the Piccolo Theatre in Milan. Antropus is the prototype for a series of award-winning furniture, including the Lady armchair and Triennale sofa, exposed, for the first time, during the IX Trienniale di Milano.

Experimentation is the key word for Zanuso. Take Antropus armchair for example: introduces a number of new materials, such as steel for the structure, and the padding in foamed CFC-free polyurethane and polyester wadding.

Similar modernity Icon, the Lady armchair, produced by Cassina, is realized through the separate production of the parts and their subsequent assembly.

To meet Richard Sapper, in 1957, marks the beginning of a successful collaboration. In 1959, Sapper and Zanuso began working for Brionvega, an Italian manufacturer of electrical appliances. The result was a series of objects became design icons: the Doney 14 television, and the Cube radio, which are now part of the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York.

Doney was the first portable TV, manufactured in Europe in 1962, winner of the Golden Compass, which used the same missile electronics transistors.

Brionvega Cube radio is portable and resalable. It works thanks to the transistor system. Today on the stage again, a must-have even more technological thanks to the Bluetooth connection to smartphones, tablets and PCs.

In 1964 the couple designed the K4999, a multipurpose chair for children, in plastic. Produced by Kartell.

In the same year Zanuso designed the Woodline armchair, made up of three elements: a curved wood frame, a supporting panel and some soft cushions. The supporting panel is characterised by a steel structure covered in leather. Seat and cushions are covered in leather or fabric.

In 1967 he designed the Grillo telephone for Siemens, considered a precursor of modern mobiles for its modern design.

Zanuso was a great architect as well. The Nuovo Piccolo Teatro in Milan is an example of his creativity. Born from a project by Marco Zanuso and Pietro Crescini, the Nuovo Piccolo Teatro di Milano has a floor plan consisting of  two nearly overlapping square, they slip of forty-five degrees to each other for open on the main room. The external walls recall the tradition of the nearby Castello Sforzesco.

In 2001, at the age 85, he left us. Still, his legacy remains intact. His eclectic personality stands out on the international design scene, for his ability to make everyday items modern and accessible.

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