Strictly speaking, postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. Objects produced by postmodern practitioners were characterized by hot-colored, loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function. Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. The fact that, decades later, postmodern design still has the power to provoke thoughts (along with other reactions) proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodernism began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. In the next decade in Milan, a cohort of designers led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini brought the discussion to bear on design. Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi, in 1980, gathered a core group of young designers, which would come to include Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata and Matteo Thun, into a design collective they called Memphis. They saw design as a means of communication and they wanted it to shout. That it did: the first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.
Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power cord leash. After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, postmodern design quickly took off in America. The architect Robert Venturi had already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc. with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.
Many of the pieces mentioned above formed the core of a 2011 survey of postmodern design at the Victoria & Albert Museum — an exhibition that showed the movement's influence on contemporary design and fashion. That fact, coupled with the works offered on these pages, proves that postmodernism is a movement that continues to inspire.
Ceramic Vase Model B ABC Collection by Alessandro Mendini for Superego Editions
By Alessandro Mendini, Superego Editions
Located in Milan, Italy
Ceramic vase model B, ABC collection, designed by Alessandro Mendini and produced by Superego Editions. 99 pieces limited edition. Signed and numbered. Biography Alessandro Mendini ...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
"Pratone" Lounge Chair for Gufram, Italy 1971.
By Gufram Furniture
Located in New York, NY
"Pratone" lounge chair, designed by Pietro Derossi, Giorgio Ceretti and Riccardo Rosso, 1966, produced starting in 1971 by Gufram, still in production. This example produced by Gufra...
PVC
Porfido Coffee Table by Piero Gilardi for Gufram Limited Edition, 1974
By Gufram Furniture, Piero Gilardi, Memphis Group
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare limited edition table by Piero Gilardi from 1974. This is an early piece numbered 27/500 Measurements are 38 x 26 x 14 inches. Resembling an ancient engraved piece of stone, i...
Polystyrene
1960s Italian Marble Cocktail Table by Michael McCarthy for Cassina
By Cassina, Michael McCarthy
Located in Chicago, IL
Cocktail/coffee table by Cassina with square white marble top black metal tubular base. Designed by Michael McCarthy for Cassina, 1960s.
Marble, Metal
$2,376Sale Price / item|20% Off
"Giova" Table Lamp + Flower Pot Designed by Gae Aulenti for FontanaArte
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Giova" is a refined table lamp and flower pot hybrid piece of design, designed by Gae Aulenti and manufactured by FontanaArte, featuring a chromed metal base, a middle globe in transparent blown glass, an inner globe in polished white opaline glass, an upper half-sphere in pink blown glass with decorative bubbles, black power cable, plug and switch. Its lighting source is 1 x 100W 230V E27 (HA, FL, LED). DIMENSIONS: Ø 19.7", H. 23.2" "Giova" marks the debut of Gae Aulenti in the field of lighting design. Available in two sizes, it is both a lamp and a luminous sculpture. Placed on a metal base, a transparent bowl containing a sphere of white opal glass, which in turn houses the light source. Placed above there's a smaller bowl in blown "pulegoso" glass, meaning "with irregular bubbles", which serves as a flower vase. Now also available with gray "pulegoso" glass and a gold finished base. GAE AULENTI graduated from Milan Polytechnic in 1953 and since 1956 has been working there designing for architecture, interior and industrial design and theatre scenery. In the early eighties she was the artistic director at FontanaArte, creating timeless lamps and furnishing elements for the company that are still in the catalogue. In particular: Giova lamp...
Metal, Gold, Chrome
On Hold|$1,800
Memphis Style Side Table, circa 1980s
By Peter Shire, Memphis Group
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A fun and whimsical Memphis style side table in the manner of Peter Shire. This table consist of painted steel with a 23.5" round 1/2" thick...
Steel
Michele De Lucchi for Cleto Munari Silver Carafe
By Michele de Lucchi, Cleto Munari
Located in New York, NY
Designed for Cleto Munari, manufactured by Rossi e Arcandi. Stamped “M De Lucchi/Cleto Munari/Rossi & Arcand/Made In Italy”, numbered “40/99”, “925” silver mark. Literature: ...
Sterling Silver
Peter Shire Elyssian Heights Floor Lamp
By Peter Shire
Located in Kansas City, MO
This Peter Shire Elyssian Heights floor lamp is a unique, one of a kind made in 1988. The light source is in the center of the fan shaped shade and provides even illumination withou...
Metal
Matteo Thun Whimsical Memphis Tea Pot
By Matteo Thun
Located in New York, NY
Tea Pot “Columbina Superba” Designed for Alessio Sarri, Sesto Fiorentino Printed to underside “MTH 020”. Object # 3174 Literature: Barbara Radice, Memphis, Munich, 1988, p. 165 (...
Ceramic
$24,500Sale Price|45% Off
Resin Top Console by Marie-Claude Fouquieres
Located in Montreal, QC
Important emerald green fractal resin top rectangular console top resting on chromium plated square plinths. Attributed to Marie-Claude Fouquieres.
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Signed David Marshall Postmodernist Mirror
By David Marshall
Located in Chicago, IL
Postmodern, or Art Deco, form mirror, with geometric inserts of patinated bronze, and smoked mirror panels flanking the main mirror.
Bronze
$1,078 / item
H 8.67 in Dm 0.4 in
21st Century Alessandro Mendini Murano Glass Small Vase Mandarin Orange
By Alessandro Mendini, Purho Murano
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st century Alessandro Mendini, Petalo small vase, 6 petals, Murano glass, various colors Petal is a rounded vase that, thanks to some fine metal wires, when blown creates lobed shapes that resemble petals. Designed by Alessandro Mendini, Petalo comes in two sizes and six leaves in a polished finish to emphasize the beauty and transparency of the Murano blown glass. Colors available: Transparent Blown glass 01. ice crystal 02. milky white 03. honey 04. ruby venice 05. amethist pink 06. coffee 07. amber yellow 08. capri yellow 09. mandarin orange...
Murano Glass
Memphis Postmodern Side Table by Peter Shire for Saporiti, 1980s
By Peter Shire, Saporiti
Located in Brussel, BE
Rare Memphis Postmodern side table made of black, blue and beige enameled steel base with a disc of glass table top and a chromed tidy. Designed by ...
Steel, Chrome
Odile Mir Filo lounge chair Prisunic France 1971
By Prisunic, Odile Mir
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This rare Filo lounge chair model 203, designed by French artist and designer Odile Mir in 1971 and manufactured by Prisunic, exemplifies the innovative spirit of 1970s French design...
Chrome
$2,212
H 12.6 in W 58.27 in D 20.48 in
Large "Marcel T" Chrome Coffee Table by K. Takahama for Cassina, Italy 1974
By Cassina, Kazuhide Takahama
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning and very rare “Marcel T” coffee table in chrome-plated steel and crystal, designed by Kazuhide Takahama and produced by Cassina in 1974 as a tribute to Marcel Breuer’s iconi...
Crystal, Chrome, Stainless Steel
771 Side Table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, 1960
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Conversano, IT
Beautiful model 771 side table designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in the mid-1960s, originally produced and sold with the iconic 121 chairs from the same series. Entirely ...
Palisander
$2,152
H 15.36 in W 29.53 in D 29.53 in
Square Coffee Table Signed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy 1960s
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Mid-Century coffee table Model 771 in a very rare version in ash wood, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa and produced by Cassina, in Italy during the 1960s. The table is s...
Wood, Ash
$1,659Sale Price|25% Off
H 13.59 in Dm 11.42 in
Rare 1st edition Giova lamp by Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte, 1964
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Marinha Grande, PT
Splendid Giova lamp designed by Gae Aulenti in 1964 for Fontana Arte, the famous Italian lighting design house. It has the particularity of having 2 possibi...
Glass, Opaline Glass
$1,549 / item
H 15.75 in Dm 11.82 in
21st Century Alessandro Mendini Murano Glass Large Vase Ocean Blue
By Alessandro Mendini, Purho Murano
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st century Alessandro Mendini, Petalo large vase 3 petals, Murano glass, various colors Petal is a rounded vase that, thanks to some fine metal wires, when blown creates lobed shap...
Murano Glass
"Pileino" Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti for Artemide, 1970s
By Gae Aulenti, Artemide
Located in bruxelles, BE
White Metal lamp. Stamped Gae Aulenti, Artemide on the underside. The shade is adjustable. Wear due to time and age.
Metal
$33,250 / set
H 33.08 in W 29.53 in D 39.38 in
Oscar Niemeyer “Alta” Lounge Set for Mobilier International, 1971
By Oscar Niemeyer, Mobilier International
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Oscar Niemeyer “Alta” lounge set for Mobilier International, black leather and steel, France, 1971 The "Alta" lounge chair, designed by Oscar Niem...
Leather
$1,710 / item
H 20.9 in Dm 7.9 in
Gae Aulenti & Piero Castiglioni 'Parola' Table Lamp in Amber for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Glendale, CA
Gae Aulenti & Piero Castiglioni 'Parola' Table Lamp in Amber for Fontana Arte. First designed in 1980, the 'Parola' features three different kinds of glass working; opaline blown gl...
Crystal
Postmodern Square Blue End Side Drink Table Memphis Style, Small
By Memphis Group, Marco Zanini
Located in New York, NY
A cool, chic, small royal blue side/end/drinks table, Postmodern period, Memphis style, after designer Marco Zanini, circa late-20th century, 1980s. A monochromatic table in wood and...
Laminate, Wood