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.
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
Don Frost, Dionysian, Sculpture 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Dionysian Fiberglass / Carbon Fibre impregnated with catalysed polyester resin Powder filled acrylic lacquer on filled polyester resin base 44 x 8 x 6 in "I am an artist, a sculptor...
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer
Jewel Desk
Located in New York, NY
Solid and veneered walnut, brass. Asher Israelow was born in New York City and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in fine arts and architecture. Back in New York, he currently works at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, designing buildings and building furniture. Drawing on his training as an architect and a love of lore, Asher designs work for the modern explorer. All the materials are ethically and locally sourced, building upon the importance of origins. Each piece narrates the story of its materials, with an honest approach to joinery and a touch of conceit. The studio produces all original and small batch pieces designed to last for generations. The work emphasizes a handcrafted and emergent vision of contemporary culture. This piece exemplifies the new age of brown furniture.
Brass
Don Frost, Splendor, Sculpture 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Splendor Fiberglass / Composites Filled Resin Base Gold Metallic Shiny Finish 50" x 15" x 11" "I am an artist, a sculptor not by choice but by destiny as each step in the path I fol...
Resin, Fiberglass
Don Frost, BM, Sculpture, 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, 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
Don Frost, Big Sky, Sculpture 2019
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Big Sky Fiberglass / Composites Filled Resin Base Graphite Finish 33" x 13" x 13" "I am an artist, a sculptor not by choice but by destiny as each step in the path I followed guided...
Resin, Fiberglass
$14,706
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
Don Frost, Be Free, Sculpture 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Be Free Fiberglass / Composites Filled Resin Base Turquoise Finish 15" x 15" x 11" "I am an artist, a sculptor not by choice but by destiny as each step in the path I followed guide...
Resin, Fiberglass
Aluminum and Brass Menorah or Sculpture
Located in San Diego, CA
Aluminum and brass Menorah, with a beautiful sculptural appeal. We like how function evolves into art with this piece. A great conversation piece and one...
Metal, Brass
Don Frost, Seeker, Sculpture 2018
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Seeker Fiberglass / Carbon Fibre impregnated with catalysed polyester resin Graphite filled acrylic laquor on filled polyester resin base 35 x 10 x 12 "I am an artist, a sculptor n...
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer
Don Frost, Be Wild, Sculpture 2019
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Be Wild Fiberglass / Composites Filled Resin Base Turquoise Finish 37" x 18" x 10" "I am an artist, a sculptor not by choice but by destiny as each step in the path I followed guide...
Resin, Fiberglass
$900
H 14 in W 20 in D 1 in
"EMBRACING A TIDAL WAVE" Iridescent, abstracted hand and water, cut acrylic
By Roxana Azar
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This Mixed Media piece titled "EMBRACING A TIDAL WAVE" is an original artwork by Roxana Azar made of a digital print on acrylic. The piece measures approx. ...
Digital, Lucite, Pigment
Don Frost, Changing Seasons, Sculpture 2019
By Don Frost
Located in Stamford, CT
Changing Seasons Fiberglass / Carbon Fibre impregnated with catalysed polyester resin Powder filled acrylic lacquer on filled polyester resin base 108 x 20 x 20 in "I am an artist, ...
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer