21st Century Firenze Flush Light in Crystal/Sapphire by Ettore Sottsass
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Venini (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10.24 in (26 cm)Diameter: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:21st Century
- Production Type:New & Custom(Current Production)
- Estimated Production Time:6-7 weeks
- Condition:
- Seller Location:murano, IT
- Reference Number:
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Venini
Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano. While the company’s founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Giò Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearnsof the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.
Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm, he took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction it produced mainly classical Baroque designs. In 1932, he hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).
Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt. Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968.
With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st century — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: murano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 21st Century Firenze Pendant Light in Multicolour by Ettore SottsassBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITRegardless of their size, small or large, the luminous sculptures by Ettore Sottsass bring to mind the idea and image of the Florentine lily. Revealed in sheets of glass and oval sph...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Ettore Sottsass Darpanah Table Lamp in LightPink/MilkWhite/SapphireBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITAppealing in shape and glow, it is tinged with a hint of Sapphire and Pink. Darpanah fascinates the viewer. Its powerful aesthetics urged Ettore Sottsass to turn to Sanskrit for insp...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Ettore Sottsass Nopuram Table Lamp in Green/Light Pink/RedBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITAppealing in shape and glow, it is tinged with a hint of Sapphire and Pink. Darpanah fascinates the viewer. Its powerful aesthetics urged Ettore Sottsass to turn to Sanskrit for insp...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Ettore Sottsass Collection Bhusanam Table Lamp in MulticolorBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITIn the hands of Ettore Sottsass, glass and metal take on new shapes that nod to India. They give a new visual meaning to the Sanskrit term that inspires the name of this piece: bhu?a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Vittoriale 6-Light Chandeliers in Crystal by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in murano, ITConstruction of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s Vittoriale degli Italiani started in the 1920s. In the same decade, Napoleone Martinuzzi designed a unique work that draws inspiration and owes ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Porpora 9-Light Chandeliers in Crystal by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in murano, ITEssential decorations and a sleek structure with simple arms and cups, for a minimalist design by VENINI. Born in 1924 yet timeless, it has stood the test of time. It is just as mode...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- Venini Firenze Pendant Light in Brown and Yellow by Ettore SottsassBy Ettore Sottsass, VeniniLocated in Brooklyn, NYFirenze suspension lamp, designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Venini, features handmade blown glass colored elements and crystal color discs. Numbered edition. Indoor use ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Venini Firenze Flush Light in Crystal & Sapphire by Ettore SottsassBy Ettore Sottsass, VeniniLocated in Brooklyn, NYFirenze flush light in handmade blown glass with decorative elements in opaline and transparent glass and white painted metal finishes. Fun and colorful ceiling light...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Flush Mount
MaterialsArt Glass
- Italian modern Glass Chandelier Firenze by Ettore Sottsass for Venini, 1990sBy Ettore Sottsass, VeniniLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern glass chandelier Firenze by Ettore Sottsass for Venini, 1990s Chandelier mod. Firenze (Florence) composed of a series of...Category
1990s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- 21st Century, 6-Lights Chandelier in Pink Crystal and BronzeBy Oggetti D'ArteLocated in Calenzano, FI6-Lights chandelier in pink crystal and gold patinated bronze. The parts in crystal are hand-carved. Each object is handcrafted and the care for every detail makes each item unique...Category
2010s Italian Louis XVI Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Bronze
- 21st Century, 8-Lights Chandelier in Clear Crystal and BronzeBy Oggetti D'ArteLocated in Calenzano, FI8-Lights chandelier in clear crystal and gold patinated bronze. The parts in crystal are hand-carved. Each object is handcrafted and the care for every detail makes each item uniqu...Category
2010s Italian Louis XVI Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Bronze
- 21st Century, 6-Lights Chandelier in clear Crystal and BronzeBy Oggetti D'ArteLocated in Calenzano, FI6-Lights chandelier in clear crystal and gold patinated bronze, with clear and red pendants in murano glass. The parts in crystal are hand-carved. Each object is handcrafted and th...Category
2010s Italian Louis XVI Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Bronze