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.
Carlton Wood Miniature Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Here you are shown an authentic and perfect reproduction of the Carlton bookcase, originally designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass. The vivid colors and...
Wood, Plastic
Suvretta Plastic Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Suvretta bookcase in plastic laminate was originally designed in 1981, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated...
Plastic
Casablanca Wood Cabinet, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Casablanca cabinet designed in 1981 for Memphis by Ettore Sottsass, in wood and plastic laminated colors. This is an unlimited edition with a number...
Wood, Plastic
Nairobi Bar Cabinet by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Doral, FL
Nairobi Bar Cabinet by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta Edizioni 1989 Mod. 7500 Signed original. Red veneered laminate frame (design E. Sottsass). Base and inner frame with drawer and fol...
Brass
Beverly Wood Sideboard, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Beverly sideboard in wood and covered with plastic laminate and natural briar, plus a two-door container with shelf, was originally designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass for Memphi...
Wood, Plastic
Memphis Milano Freemont Cabinet by Ettore Sottsass, Italy
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Toronto, ON
Resting on a base with five cylindrical legs, Freemont by Ettore Sottsass appears to grow strongly from the bottom to the top. With its fractured shapes, it branches out into the spa...
Gold Leaf
Zanotta Edizioni Mombasa Chest of Drawers in Brown Painted by Ettore Sottsass
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Edizioni Mombasa Chest of Drawers in Brown Painted by Ettore Sottsass Signed original. Upper frame, lower drawer top and feet veneered in open pore dark brown painted ash. L...
Pearwood
20th Century, Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Cabinet mod. Casablanca
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Turin, Turin
Ettore Sottsass grew up in Turin, and graduated in architecture from the Turin Polytechnic in 1939. In 1947, he founded his own studio in Milan. In 1956, Sottsass moved to New York w...
Laminate, Wood
Italian orange metal sideboard Synthesis 45 Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti 1970s
By Ettore Sottsass, Olivetti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian orange sideboard Synthesis 45 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti, 1970s Sideboard from the Synthesis 45 series in laminate and metal. The rectangular white laminate top has a ro...
Metal
Memphis Milano Carlton Shelf by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Toronto, ON
An absolute icon of Memphis designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981, Carlton fully represents the programmatic intention of the group: the desire to transgress with an irreverent, unorth...
Laminate, Wood
Zanotta Edizioni Nairobi Bar Cabinet in Red Veneered Laminate by Ettore Sottsass
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Edizioni Nairobi Bar Cabinet in Red Veneered Laminate by Ettore Sottsass Signed original. Red veneered laminate frame (design E. Sottsass). Base and inner frame with drawe...
Wood
Italian Postmodern Sculptural Wall Shelf by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta 1980
By Ettore Sottsass, Zanotta
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Alfiere étagère by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta, 1980 This rare Italian postmodern sculptural wall shelf was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1980 for Zanotta. Known as the Alfiere éta...
Marble, Chrome
Italian brown metal sideboard Synthesis 45 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti 1970s
By Ettore Sottsass, Olivetti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian brown metal sideboard Synthesis 45 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti, 1970s Sideboard from the Synthesis 45 series in laminate and metal. The rectangular light brown laminate t...
Metal
Ettore Sottsass Casablanca cabinet Memphis Milano 1981
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Ettore Sottsass's Casablanca cabinet boasts a totem-like profile, closely resembling his iconic Carlton room divider and Ashoka lamp. This piece stands out...
Laminate
Memphis Cabinet or a Bookcase designed by Ettore Sottsass and Marco Zanini, 1986
By Marco Zanini, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an exceptionally rare Memphis style cabinet or a bookcase. It was designed by Ettore Sottsass and Marco Zanini for ...
Glass, Wood
'Carlton' Room Divider and Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, Italy
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in London, GB
Probably the most iconic of all Ettore Sottsass' designs, the colourful Carlton is half room divider, half bookcase and full size sculptural marvel. Des...
Laminate, Wood
Malabar Sideboard by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Malabar sideboard with cupboard in plastic by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Sideboard with cupboa...
Plastic
Suvretta Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
“Suvretta” is a Romansh word (language spoken in Engadine) that means: “above the small forest”. Like rows of overlapping trees, the books placed on the green shelves of Suvretta tak...
Laminate, Wood, Plywood, Scrap Wood
MEMPHIS "BEVERLY" Cabinet/Sideboard / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
Ettore Sottsass considered the Beverly sideboard a pivotal piece for the first MEMPHIS collection. The diagonal upright support fabricated of birds-eye maple was meant to infer the p...
Chrome
MEMPHIS "CARLTON" Cabinet / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
The totemic CARLTON room divider is a Memphis icon. The piece calls into question conventional furniture forms by combining a space divider, bookcase, and chest of drawers. Intended ...
Laminate, Wood
Ettore Sottsass Cantone Corner Shelves, Italy, 1981
By Zanotta, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Dronten, NL
Striking “Cantone” corner cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass, an iconic example of the Italian postmodern master’s sculptural and architectural approach to furniture. This piece emb...
Silver
Italian modern laminate bookcase Carlton by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, 1981
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern laminate bookcase Carlton by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, 1981 Carlton bookcase made entirely of wood, covered in colorful Formica: yellow, green, black, pink, red, or...
Formica, Wood
Ettore Sottsass, Custom Cabinet, Maple, Italy, 1989
By Sottsass Associati, Ettore Sottsass
Located in High Point, NC
A maple and white-painted maple cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass and custom-produced by Sottsass Associati, Italy for the Mayer-Schwarz Gallery, Beverly Hills in 1989.
Maple
"Casablanca" Cabinet, Design by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, Italy, 1981
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Napoli, IT
"Casablanca" cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, Italy, 1981. Wood construction with colored laminate covering shelving with two doors and three drawers. Unlimited Edi...
Wood
Nairobi Bar Cabinet by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Long Island City, NY
Nairobi bar cabinet by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta in a red ebonized and aniline-dyed wood and signed to upper left side 'Ettore Sottsass'. The cabinet features two doors concealing ...
Brass
Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Kansas City, MO
Ettore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The cabinet features three drawers over a drop-front ...
Brass
MEMPHIS "CASABLANCA" Cabinet/Sideboard / Ettore Sottsass (Italy) / PostModern
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
This strikingly sculptural cabinet is a superb work of art designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis. The wood and plastic laminate structure features a base with a column supp...
Laminate, Wood
Kampa bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Design
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Ravenna, IT
The product in question is marked as 1stsample and is sold with a certificate of authenticity. Kampa is a three-element bookcase with table created by Ettore Sottsass as part of the ...
Steel
Carlton 30th Anniversary Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Design
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Ravenna, IT
Carlton is the most famous and iconic of all the objects designed for Memphis Milano. The piece was designed by Ettore Sottsass and first presented at the historic Memphis exhibition...
Laminate, Wood
Sottsass Ettore design in years 70 for Olivetti Italy typewriting desk Synthesis
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Biella, IT
Sottsass Ettore design in years 70 for Olivetti Italy typewriting desk Synthesis the color of the desk are white/cream and brown
Metal
Sottsass Ettore design in years 70 for Olivetti Italy typewriting desk Synthesis
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Biella, IT
Sottsass Ettore design in years 70 for Olivetti Italy typewriting desk Synthesis
Metal
Essetre Bookcase Three Shelves White Resin Fiberglass Serie Mobili Grigi 1970
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Milano, IT
A beautiful Essetre bookcase, featuring a three-tier structure in white resin reinforced with fiberglass, part of the iconic Serie Mobili Grigi. Produced by Poltronova in Italy durin...
Resin, Fiberglass
Ettore Sottsass Rare Limited Edition Piccoli Libri Cabinet, 1992
By Ettore Sottsass, Design Gallery Milano
Located in Barcelona, ES
Piccoli Libri cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1992 edited by Design Gallery Milano. P.A from a Limited edition of 9 + 3 P.A. Plastic laminate-covered, maple-veneered wood, m...
Plastic, Wood
Radical Design Kubirolo Cabinets by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Italy, 1960s
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Milan, IT
Scarce set of 7 Kubirolo modular shelving system by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova. The elements can be positioned in several ways, from full horizontal to vertical, creating differe...
Plastic, Wood
Ettore Sottsass Tempus Wall Cabinet in Wood by Poltronova 1960s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
An elegant wall-mounted cabinet in veneered walnut with a white lacquered front and an inset round mirror. Above the mirror there is a barometer, while below it there is a drawer wit...
Metal
Malabar Bookshop by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milan
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Ravenna, IT
Malabar is a cabinet-bookcase designed by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano in 1982 and purchased in 2000. Production number 21. Sold with certificate of Authenticity. Featuring she...
Metal
Padma crystal display cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, 2000.
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Ravenna, IT
Padma display cabinet designed by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Memphis in the 2000s. With a crystal frame and uprights, Parma belongs to the Long Furniture collection. Its aesthet...
Crystal, Brass