Ettore Sottsass

COLLECTIBLE WORKS

Ettore Sottsass

Teodora Chair

1986-1987
Laminate over wood, acrylic
w 56,5 x d 51,5 x h 88 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Loto Rosso

1965
Red marble top, lacquered iron
w 130 x h 73 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Eastside Armchairs

1982
Leather and fabric
80 x 78 x 85 cm
Country of realization – United States

Ettore Sottsass

Eastside Sofa

1982
Leather and fabric
190 x 80 x 95 cm
Country of realization – United States

Ettore Sottsass

Yantra 15 Vase

1969
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 12 cm x l 23 cm x h 49 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Yantra Y-28 Vase

1969
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 38 x d 12 x h 39 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Yantra Y-26 Ceramic Box

1969
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 19 x d 9 x h 13 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Yantra 33 Vase

1969
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 22 x d 12 x h 31 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Yantra 31 vase

1969
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 12 x l 23 x h 49 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Troppa acqua vase

1994
Murano glass
52 x 33.5 cm
Country of realization - Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Flying Carpet, Sofa and Armchair

1974
Beechwood structure, stretch-jersey, velvet and carpeting
104 x 105 x 65 cm
Country of realization - Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Luna d’Estate Vase

1994
Murano glass
h 52 x Ø 38 cm
country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Conque Betili Vase

1994
Murano glass
h 41 x Ø 41 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Minareto Totem

1995
Policromatic ceramic, laminated wooden base
w 48 x d 48 x h 15 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Albero del Sottosuolo Vase

1994
Murano glass
h 52 x Ø 38 cm
country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Sole Basso Vase

1994
Murano glass
h 50 x Ø 42 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Nairobi Cabinet

1989
MDF structure with veneer, brass knobs, black varnish
w 85 x d 55 x h 190 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Tantra Stars Vases

1971
Glazed ceramic
Glazed signature underside
w 17,5 x d 21 x h 17,5 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Ultrafragola

1970
Injection-moulded plastic, mirror
w 100 x d 13 x h 195 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Bruco Lamp

1970
Opalescent methacrylate, chrome, lamp
Ø26,5 x H 75,5 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Bastonio

1965-2003
Natural lacquered wood
w 101 x d 60 x h 103 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Buco Nero Vase

1994
Murano glass
49 cm
Country of realization - Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Suvretta Bookcase

1981
Colored and patterned laminates
w 204 x d 35 x h 200 cm
Country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Barbarella, Cabinet,

1995
Walnut with anodized aluminum studs
104 x 105 x 65 cm
country of realization – Italy

Ettore Sottsass

Unreleased Bedroom

1954-1956
Variable dimensions

BIOGRAPHY

Ettore Sottsass (Innsbruck, 1917 – Milan, 2007) graduated at the Politecnic in Turin in 1939, he started his activity in Milan, where in 1947 he opened his own design studio. In the 70’s he started his collaboration with Olivetti, creating with them a range of office furniture and equipment. A very versatile artist with many interests – he was involved in the various fields of artistic expression.

Foreseeing years of social unrest, he perceived design as an instrument of social criticism and hence gave way to Design Radicale (1966-1972) providing a new aesthetically outlook on design that was more ethically, socially and politically inclined. Having moved away from the voracity of what the industry had to offer, he got closer to the avant-guarde, to Pop Art, to plain and down-to-earth conceptual influences, proposing an alternative design in respect to that imposed by the advertising media at the time. After the experimental works for Poltronova as their artistic director, Sottsass’s utopian had it’s climax in Italy with the exhibition “The new domestic landscape” at the MoMA in New York 1972.

After that he involved himself with the group Alchimia, engraving his own ideology and that of “Design Radicale”, in an alchemy of shapes, colors, materials which overturn the aesthetically standards and the way design is conceived compared to decoration. In 1981 he set up the Memphis group, a group that has radically changed the scenario of Italian and world design. His interest in Ceramics and design continued during his professional career which led him to meet Bitossi Ceramics in 1958. This is when he started to create ceramics under the supervision of Aldo Londi. The relationship lasted for almost 50 yrs. The ceramic totems, can be recalled dating from 1962-1967 and the ceramics for Memphis, from the 1980’s.

His works make part of the most important collections and were exhibited in the most renowned international museums, such as Moma, V&A, Pompidou museum and Triennal of Milan. He was honored with numerous international awards and has been the winner of the Golden Compass in 1959.