An artist and designer with a diploma in pictorial decoration from the Istituto Statale d’Arte, Enzo Mari was one of the founders of the Cenacolo Artistico Giovanile (Youth Artistic Circle). In the 1950s he devoted himself to an intense artistic activity as a leading exponent of programmed and kinetic art. In parallel with his artistic activity, he devoted himself to graphics, product design, installations and exhibitions, collaborating with numerous Italian companies. The author of more than 1500 pieces that have made the history of not only Italian design, he also played an important role because of his activity as a theorist, which has always been accompanied by an active political commitment. He has participated in avant-garde movements since the 1950s, but has always rejected the cliché of the abstract intellectual who is far from the public, focusing instead on a philosophy of design as an activity aimed at transforming society. An artist of international standing, he has been awarded the Compasso d’Oro five times and his works are exhibited in the world’s leading museums.