Should I have heard of him? Yes, but you probably haven't unless you're Italian,
frequent art and design circles, or have seen his pieces in the permanent collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Cleto Munari is a business man who hovers between manufacturer, commissioner and industrial designer. He formed his company to realise artists' and designers' ideas, and has collaborated with many of the greatest architects of our time, particularly in Italy.
What does he actually make? He makes useful objects related to various aspects of daily life - drinking, eating, dressing, furnishing, measuring time and communicating - bringing a new dimension to the home. They include handblown Murano glassware designed by international architects, watches with Ettore Sottsass and, in collaboration with the likes of Paolo Portoghesi and Luca Scacchetti, sterling-silver cutlery.
Has he had formal training? Munari came to design late in life. In the 1970s, his interest in design grew from friendships with famous architects such as Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass , and the man he calls his 'maestro', Carlo Scarpa. 'When I began with Carlo Scarpa, I was completely ignorant about the worlds of design and architecture. So in 1973, I began to travel the world just to look and learn.' The turning point came when he asked Scarpa to design functional cutlery, which now forms part of the permanent collections of major museums.
What is his design philosophy? Munari works for fun not money - he's not interested in making unusual objects simply because they're fashionable. 'I don't care about trends,' he says. 'What I care about is that in years to come, the things I make will have a part in
the history of design.'