The collection
1985–86
Portable Typewriter, ETP 55
- Designed by
- Mario Bellini (born 1935)
- Material
- Cast-injected ABS polyme
- Produced by
- Ing. C. Olivetti & C.S.p.a., Ivrea, Italy
- Dimensions
- 12.4 x 41 x 33 cm
The Liliane and David M. Stewart Program for Modern Design, 2010.65
Like many other Italian architects, Bellini, designed furniture and products as well as buildings. While Chief Design Consultant for Olivetti from 1963 to 1991, he created a remarkable range of designs for computers, typewriters and calculators.
The ETP 55 exemplifies Bellini’s turn from functional modernism to postmodernism in its playful use of color and dramatic shapes. The architectonic portable machine is inviting to the user as it looks lightweight and easy to use.
The Stewart Program for Modern Design, photo: Denis Farley.