Olivetti Divisumma 28 (1972)Olivetti TCV 250 Video Terminal (1966)
In 1963, Bellini became a consultant for Olivetti, where he contributed to the design of the Programma 101, a precursor to the desktop computer.[6][7] His design for the CMC7-7004 magnetic character marking machine won the Compasso d'Oro in 1964.[8]
Bellini continued collaborating with Olivetti throughout the 1970s and 1980s, playing a key role in designing many of the company's iconic products. These included the Lexicon 82 and Praxis 35 electric typewriters (the latter of which won a Compasso d'Oro in 1981),[9] the Mercator 20 cash register (which received the Compasso d'Oro in 1984), and the Divisumma 28 electronic printing calculator.[10][11][8]
For many years, Bellini designed furniture and systems for B&B Italia and Cassina. He also created TV sets, hi-fi systems, headphones, and electric organs for Yamaha. As an automobile design consultant, he worked with Renault for five years and also contributed to designs for Fiat and Lancia, including the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi. Additionally, he designed lamps for Artemide, Erco, and Flos, as well as office furniture for Vitra.
Bellini has also designed products for various companies worldwide and continues to collaborate with many of them. In Italy, his work includes designs for Acerbis, Bras, Driade, Candy, Castilia, Flou, Kartell, Marcatrè, Meritalia, Natuzzi, and Poltrona Frau. In Belgium, he has worked with Ideal Standard; in Germany, with Lamy and Rosenthal; in Japan, with Fuji and Zojirushi; and in the United States, with Heller Furniture.
In 1972, Bellini was commissioned to design and build the prototype of the Kar-a-Sutra, a mobile environment created for the exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[12][13] His Camaleonda modular sofa system, produced by B&B Italia until 1979, was also featured in the exhibition.[14]
In 1987, the Museum of Modern Art held a retrospective exhibition dedicated to Bellini's career.[15] At the time, the museum already featured 25 of his works in its permanent collection, including a selection of Olivetti machines, furniture designed in collaboration with B&B Italia and Cassina, and office chairs created for Vitra.
Mario Bellini Architects (MBA) is headquartered in Milan in a 1,500-square-meter building designed by Bellini himself in the early 1990s. In 1999, the firm obtained ISO 9001 quality certification. Today, MBA employs an average of 30 to 35 architects.[16]
In 2000, the Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art in Trento, Italy, held a personal exhibition titled Mario Bellini: A Path Between Architecture, Furniture, and Cars.
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