He drew inspiration from the idealism of the
Arts and Crafts movement and his political views as a
communist. From 1956 onward, he specialised in industrial design and created a portfolio of more than 2,000 works. In the 1970s, as a professor at
The Humanitarian Society, he founded the Nuova Tendenza art movement in Milan. and the "Box" chair. In 1974, in reaction to the mass production of furniture, Enzo Mari created a book entitled,
Autoprogettazione, which deals with the DIY construction of furniture and provides plans and instructions on how to create 19 items of furniture from ubiquitous materials. In the 1980s, he designed the modernist Tonietta chair. Mari also taught at
University of Parma, the
Accademia Carrara, and the
Milan Polytechnic. Multiple works by Mari have been on display at the
Museum of Modern Art. He had
retrospective shows in
Turin, and an important presentation of his work in the "Adhocracy" show, during the first Istanbul Design Biennial. In addition, the Triennale, Milan, is exhibiting a tribute to Mari, curated by
Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli. He donated the archive of his designs to the city of Milan on the condition that it may not be displayed for 40 years. == Personal life ==