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. He was a wild man of the Radical Design movement that swept Italy in the late 1960s and ’70s, rejecting rationalism and modernism in favor of ever-more outrageous imaginings in lighting and furniture such as mirrors, lamps, chairs and tables.
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.
The Memphis Group 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 created innovative furnishings for the likes of Artemide, Knoll, Zanotta and Poltronova, where he reigned as artistic director for nearly two decades beginning in 1958. His 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 inspired and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
Sottsass left the Memphis Group in 1985 in order to concentrate on the growth of Sottsass Associati, a design and architecture consultancy he cofounded in 1980.
It was as an artist that 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.
Find Ettore Sottsass lighting, decorative objects and furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Rare Italian Floor Lamp Model 12731, 1950s Design, Excellent Condition
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in London, GB
Impressed manufacturer's mark to underside of foot switch ‘Made in Italy Arredoluce Monza’. literature: Arredoluce Catalogue Raisonne 1943-1987, Pansera, Padoan and Palmaghini, ppg. ...
Metal
Festone Ceiling Lamp, 1956, Lacquered Metal & Plexiglass, Contemporary, Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in London, GB
Ettore Sottsass 1917 - 2007 “Festone“ ceiling lamp mod. 12625, 1956 White lacquered metal, violet, blue, red and yellow Plexiglas, brass mod. 12625 “Festone“ ceiling lamp. Edition Ar...
Metal, Brass
$6,153
H 28.75 in Dm 13.39 in
Close to Heart 1 & 2 - Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
By Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Close to Heart 1 & 2 Limited edition of 12 (each sculpture) Dimensions: - Close to heart 1 (black): H. 73. x D. 34 cm - Close to heart 2 (natural): H. 82. x D. 22 cm Medi...
Steel
$475
H 13.78 in W 11.03 in D 1.58 in
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT PopBox PEZ Design LED Light. Decor Style Modern Interior
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Jean-Michel Basquiat - PopBox PEZ Date of creation: 2025 Medium: Stainless steel; low-energy LED system; UV-printed plexiglass panel. Edition: Open Size: 28 x 35 x 4 cm Condition: B...
Stainless Steel
$14,967
H 106.3 in W 35.44 in D 33.47 in
Pillar Phantom by Pavlína Kvita - Contemporary Totem Sculpture, Outdoor Art, Red
By Pavlína Kvita
Located in Paris, FR
Pillar Phantom is a unique pigmented glass fiber reinforced concrete, raw steel plinth sculpture by contemporary artist Pavlína Kvita, dimensions are 270 × 90 × 85 cm (106.3 × 35.4 ×...
Concrete, Steel
$475
H 6.11 in W 13.78 in D 1.58 in
Andy Warhol - PopBox Banana. Design LED Light. Decor Style Interior Modern
By (after) Andy Warhol
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Andy Warhol - PopBox Banana Date of creation: 2025 Medium: Stainless steel; low-energy LED system; UV-printed plexiglass panel. Edition: Open Size: 35 x 15.5 x 4 cm Condition: Brand...
Stainless Steel
Don Frost, BM, Sculpture, 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Greenwich, CT
BM Fiberglass / Carbon Fibre impregnated with catalysed polyester resin Powder filled acrylic lacquer on filled polyester resin base 27" x 10" x 11" "I am an artist, a sculptor not ...
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer
$475
H 10.36 in W 13.78 in D 1.58 in
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT PopBox THE CROWN Design Lamp Light. Decor Style Modern
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Jean-Michel Basquiat - PopBox The Crown Date of creation: 2025 Medium: Stainless steel; low-energy LED system; UV-printed plexiglass panel. Edition: Open Size: 35 x 26.3 x 4 cm Cond...
Stainless Steel
$3,076
H 32.29 in Dm 8.67 in
Close to Heart 2 - Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
By Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Close to Heart 2 Limited edition of 12 Mediums: old pine, steel, acrylic hand painted, oil CLOSE TO HEART - Collection Working on the series I used a “wood with history”...
Steel
$23,000
H 11.25 in W 16.75 in D 21.5 in
Cuzco School Baptismal Dish
By Spanish Colonial (Peruvian)
Located in New York, NY
Provenance: Manuel Ortíz de Zevallos y García, Peru; and by descent in the family to: Private Collection, New York. This impressive baptismal dish is an example of eighteenth-cent...
Silver
$3,076
H 36.62 in Dm 9.85 in
Yasu - Burnt Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
By Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture YASU Limited edition of 12 Mediums: burnt wood and brass Discover the stunning artistry of Zlata Kornilova with this exquisite sculpture crafted from burnt wood using the...
Steel
$3,326
H 16.15 in W 12.8 in D 0.79 in
19th Century Signed Italian Military Painting Michele Cammarano
By Michele Cammarano
Located in Roma, IT
In this beautiful painting, the great Neapolitan artist Michele Cammarano performs one of his favourite subjects: descriptions of battles and settings with a military theme. Our impo...
Canvas, Oil
$2,197
H 29.93 in W 59.06 in D 2.76 in
Kamyki set of 18, Mounted Sculptures in Stainless Steel by Oskar Zieta
By Oskar Zieta 1
Located in Paris, FR
Kamyki original decorative wall mirror (18 pieces), Zieta DImensions: Ø 7-20 cm Material: stainless steel. Dimensions of the set : H. 76 cm W. 150 cm D. 6...
Stainless Steel
"The Arch Floral" Tapestry
Located in Atlanta, GA
Belgian made, Jacquard woven with relief stitch. Fully lined with rod pocket for hanging. Cotton and viscose. Available in single arch in sizes 66x36 ($320) and 94.75" x 53.5" ($86...
Tapestry
Sold
H 14.18 in W 14.18 in D 14.18 in
Ettore Sottsass per Poltronova anno 1961 Fioriera Italia Design
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Pistoia, IT
Fioriera in legno di Ettore Sottsass per Poltronova, 1961. Nato nel 1917 a Innsbruck, in Austria, l'architetto e designer Ettore Sottsass è cresciuto a Milano. Studiò architettura al...
Wood
Canapé Tapis Volant - Circa 1974
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Ettore Sottsass - Canapé Tapis Volant - Circa 1974 Rarissime , voire unique : Canapé Tapis volant d'Ettore Sottsass Circa 1974 217 x 107 x 65 cms Édité par ...
Wood