Maria Cristina Mariani Dameno, known as Cini Boeri, was born on 19 June 1924 in Milan. She graduated from Milan Polytechnic University in 1951, and after an apprenticeship in Gio Ponti's studio she entered into a lengthy partnership with Marco Zanuso.

She began working in 1963, handling civil architecture and industrial design. Cini Boeri designed private homes, museum installations, offices and shops in Italy and abroad, focussing on the functionality of the spaces and the psychological relationship between people and their environment.

In the industrial field she designed furniture pieces that have become icons of Italian design and are now featured in museum collections and exhibitions both in Italy and around the world.

Photo: Chris Moyse