Blue Ettore Sottsass East Side Sofa and Two Lounge Chairs
View Similar Items
Blue Ettore Sottsass East Side Sofa and Two Lounge Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.08 in (84 cm)Width: 53.55 in (136 cm)Depth: 30.71 in (78 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Post-Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some fading to the light blue fabric, small hole in the fabric in lower edge of the sofa. Reupholstery recommended.
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU931428297612
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.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Ettore Sottsass East Side Arm ChairBy Knoll, Ettore SottsassLocated in Dronten, NLIconic East Side arm chair in Royal Blue designed by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll International in 1983. Postmodern chair with original upholstery in wonderful vintage condition. The ch...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Ettore Sottsass ID-S Edition Floor LampBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Dronten, NLIn 1987, while working for Zumtobel, the Milan-based design studio Sottsass Associati developed a floor lamp which caused quite a stir both because of its design and its lighting tec...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Black Callimaco by Ettore Sottsass, Early Limited EditionBy Ettore Sottsass, ArtemideLocated in Dronten, NLLimited Edition Callimaco floor lamp by Ettore Sottsass in black. Callimaco was designed by Ettore Sottsass for Artemide in 1982 and became a true icon of 1980s. The lamp lacks all unnecessary parts and strips down to pure functionality. This very first version was produced in a small numbered series for a Paris gallery...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Model 585 Red Vase by Ettore Sottsass, Italy, 1960By Ettore SottsassLocated in Dronten, NLOxblood red vase model 585 designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1960. Realized circa 1961 by Società Ceramica Toscana di Figline for Milanese gallery Il Sestante in different colors. Signe...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Walnut Sofa and Arm Chair by SapporoBy Sapporo, Mobil GirgiLocated in Dronten, NLA rare walnut sofa and armchair by Sapporo for Mobil Girgi, made in the 1970's, Italy. Beautifully designed with angled front legs which extend to the sides and back, the back suppo...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsCotton, Walnut
- ISU Sofa in Blue Leather by Shigeru Uchida, 1995By PastoeLocated in Dronten, NLArchitectural sofa designed by renown Japanese architect Shigeru Uchida. This spectacular minimalist but very comfortable sofa with black anodized cast aluminum legs was in productio...Category
1990s Dutch Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsAluminum
- East Side Lounge Chair by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll, Italy, 1980'sBy Ettore Sottsass, KnollLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLWonderful lounge chair with its original soft leather upholstery in great condition. This suburb lounge chair features gray lacquered steel feet with translucent plastic end pieces. ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of 1980s "East Side" Club Lounge Chair by Ettore Sottsass and KnollBy Knoll, Ettore SottsassLocated in Paris, FranceThis rare pair of tricolor "Eastside model" club armchairs was created by designer Ettore Sottsass for Knoll International. Its structure in gray steel tube and its soft leather cove...Category
Late 20th Century Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Eastside Sofa by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll, 1980s, All Original, Ready to UseBy Knoll, Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MOEastside Sofa by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Knoll, 1980s. Original black leather and gray and black patterned fabric. Aluminum and steel base co...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Upholstery
- Italian Danube sofa by Ettore Sottsass for CassinaBy Cassina, Ettore SottsassLocated in Milano, ITImmerse yourself in the captivating world of postmodern design with the legendary "Danube" sofa, a two-seater masterpiece designed by the iconic Ettore Sottsass for Cassina in 1992. ...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsIron
- Ettore Sottsass Califfo Sofa in Wood and Multicoloured Velvet Poltronova 1960sBy Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITTwo-seater Califfo sofa with a structure in a orange/red lacquered wood seat and back are structured by cushions upholstered with velvet fabric in a mixed...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Velvet
- Ettore Sottsass Flying Carper Sofa for Bedding BrevettiBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Padova, ITEttore Sottsass designed this sofa after having known the Indian culture. A crucial journey in his formation is that of 1961 in India, undertaken with Fernanda Pivano. On this journe...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Velvet, Wood