Pio Manzù was an Italian designer who attracted attention above all with his car designs. He died in a car accident in 1969 at the age of 30. Pio Manzù was one of the founding members of the "International Research Centre on Environmental Structures", which was renamed the "Pio Manzù International Research Centre" after his death.
Pio Manzù studied at the Ulm School of Design (Hochschule für Gestaltung) in Ulm, Germany. The young designer made his name primarily with his designs for the automotive industry. He designed one of the most successful cars in Italian history: the Fiat 127. He also developed numerous other prototypes with innovative ideas and technologies.
His automotive design work earned Pio Manzù great recognition and numerous awards. In 1962, for example, he won the prestigious Année Automobile Award with a prototype for Pininfarina. In product design, his work includes the Cronotime desk clock for Alessi and the Parentesi ceiling spotlight for Flos.
