And now we have the porcelains...I believe these porcelains are, instead diagrams for meticulous gestures of the hands, and for the attentive focussing of eyes that have perhaps found an answer to their questing. I believe they are diagrams (like Buddha rosaries) for cathartic exercises; I believe they are signs for reading medieval Sutras in the correct order; I believe that they are simple geometris for the silent repetition of ancient therapeutic formulas; I believe they are moulds of bandages that have healed difficult wouunds; I believe they are instruments of consolation rather that instruments of presumption. I believe that these porcelains must me treated with care, as one treats a memory of the past. I believe that one should honor them as one honours the instruments of a rite; I believe that one should put them down carefully on the wood table-top, as one lays down the fragile sheet of a letter that tells of melancholic adventures...

The Italian firm Danese stands as one of the most influential companies in the history of design. Founded in 1957 by Bruno Danese and Jacqueline Vodoz, it was conceived to connect culture and industry and to bring art into the everyday.

According to the company’s manifesto, their story “is a narration of material culture, suggested functions, discreet pedagogies and practical beauty.” With an emphasis on quality craftsmanship, forms born out of function and materiality, and details that are always essential, Danese is known around the globe for its production of timeless design, art and objects.

Danese’s success can largely be attributed to the philosophies and creations of Enzo Mari and Bruno Munari—Mari, known for asserting that “Form is everything” and his unwavering belief in the accessibility of good design, and Munari for his relentless experimentation with materials and technologies in the pursuit of new modes of visual communication. The result is an astonishing variety of products. From items for the home and office, to games, exhibitions, books and more, the two designers set the company on its course and established the quality and gold standard of Danese production.

A major retrospective of Enzo Mari’s work opened in October of 2020 at the Triennale di Milano just days before Mari passed away. Extended until April of 2021, the exhibition, Enzo Mari curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli, explores Mari’s more than 60 year career and includes previously unpublished material from his archive.