Breaking news: Italian furniture designer and author Enzo Mari has passed away in Milan at age 88.
Mari died at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, where he was hospitalised. The Italian designer created products for brands including Artemide, Alessi, Danese, Driade and Zanotta in a prolific, 60-year career.
Throughout his career, he promoted the idea of creating well-designed items for ordinary people.
"One of the most gifted, original and uncompromising designers of our time"
Stefano Boeri, president of Triennale Milano where a major retrospective of Mari's work is currently being held, led the tributes to the designer.
"Ciao Enzo. Te ne vai da Gigante," wrote Boeri on his Facebook page, which translates into English as: "Bye Enzo. You're leaving like a Giant." "Addio e grazie to one of the most gifted, original and uncompromising designers and design activists of our time," said design writer Alice Rawsthorn on Twitter.
"Goodbye Enzo ? pioneer, visionary and speaker of truth to power," wrote Joseph Grima, creative director of Design Academy Eindhoven, on Insatgram.
Born in the Italian city of Novara in 1932, Mari studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan from 1952-1956.
Mari was a prolific furniture and product designer
His early works include a series of collaborations with the then recently established Italian brand Danese, which saw the designer create vases, a pencil holder, a series of calendars ...