Italian designer Enzo Mari has received ADI's Compasso d'oro award (Golden Compass Award) four times. The first was presented to him in 1967 for his individual research into projects and installations rather than for a specific project.
The items in the ADI Compasso d'oro Historical Collection, on display in Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni until September 25 2011, offer an opportunity to look back over the past fifty years of "made in Italy" through the creations of great masters such as Enzo Mari, 4-time winner of the prize established after the second world war based on the ideas of architect Gio Ponti.It was 1967 and the ninth edition when Enzo Mari won his first Compasso d'oro award for "Individual design research" for the studies and research he conducted and put into practice in products, graphics and installations at that time. “'I'm glad I've been awarded this prize for my individual research, rather than for a particular item,” wrote Mari, recalling the award in his book “25 modi per piantare un chiodo” ("25 ways to drive a nail"), recently published by Mondadori.
The designer then collected three more Compassi d'oro for his products: in 1979 for his Delfina chair designed for Robots, in 1987 for Tonietta, a chair produced for Zanotta, and finally in 2001 for the "Tavolo legato" made for Driade.
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www.driade.it
www.robots.it
www.zanotta.it
