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.
ETTORE SOTTSASS - "DECO" PROTOTYPE silver ring - 1984 - Edited by Cleto Munari
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Ettore SOTTSASS (Austria, 1917 - 2007 Italy) "Decò" a unique gilded silver and onyx ring Circular in shape with geometric elements. In collaboration with Cleto Munari (editor) 1984...
Onyx, Vermeil
ETTORE SOTTSASS "SCIVOLO" a Statement 18ct gold onyx diamonds ring 1980'
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Large 18ct gold ring, long rectangular gold table on which is set a black onyx disc, a small bar set with diamonds. Size 61 37,9 g ca 1983-1984 Edited by CLETO MUNARI Edition of 9 +...
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
Ettore Sottsass Gilded Silver Ring with Onyx, Italy Circa 1983 - Prototype
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Gilded silver ring With onyx elements 70.4 g Size 61 Designed ca 1983 by Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) - Edited by CLETO MUNARI This rare and architectural ring is UNIQUE. It is a PR...
Onyx, Vermeil
11.0mm Pearl & Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Art Deco Aurora Engagement Ring
By Lustre of London
Located in London, GB
This simple but elegant freshwater pearl ring has classic appeal but with a contemporary twist. It features a double twisted row of 0.75 carat of the highest quality round brillian...
Pearl, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
$280Sale Price|20% Off
Orloff of Denmark, Onyx & Orange Sapphire Statement Ring - 925 Silver
Located in Hua Hin, TH
Orloff of Denmark; Sterling Silver Statement ring featuring a total of 0.50 carats of Orange Sapphires surrounding a huge Onyx, Introducing a truly captivating piece, this statement...
Sapphire, Onyx, Silver, Sterling Silver
Heidi Abrahamson Pearl Gold Gilt Sterling Silver Handmade Post Modernist Ring
By Heidi Abrahamson
Located in Palm Springs, CA
14k gold leaf over sterling silver and a natural pearl within cocktail created by ring Heidi Abrahamson. Ring is a finger size 6 3/4 to 7. In very good vintage 2010 condition.
Natural Pearl, Pearl, Sterling Silver, Gold, Vermeil
Rare Bent Exner Danish Modernist Kinetic Sterling Silver Vermeil Ring
By Bent Exner
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Rare sterling silver ring with a light wash of gold on the kinetic rocking balls. Created by Bent Exner of Denmark in the 1960s. Size 5.5 and in very good condition.
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Black Onyx and Diamond Dome Yellow Gold Ring, circa 1970s
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This grandiose 1970s black onyx and diamond dome ring, crafted in 14K yellow gold, captures the bold elegance of the era with its tiered, raised design. The center showcases a substa...
Diamond, Onyx, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
European 18k Gold Onyx Cocktail Ring with 0.35ct Diamonds, 1980s
Located in London, GB
This beautiful European 18k gold and onyx cocktail ring is adorned with white gold and 0.35 c round cut diamonds. It is a hefty piece that is very comfortable to wear and it can be r...
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
$150Sale Price / item|50% Off
Silvorra Art Deco Emerald Cut Cubic Zirconia Cocktail Ring 925 Sterling Silver
Located in New York, NY
This bold Art Deco inspired cocktail ring in 925 sterling silver showcases a crisp emerald-cut cubic zirconia at the center, framed by a row of baguette-cut CZ that forms a sleek hor...
Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique 18ct White Gold Onyx & Diamond Deco Ring
Located in Brighton, GB
Antique Onyx & Diamond Ring 18ct White Gold Tested A Fabulous Rectangular Shaped Onyx with Diamond Centre & Border. Handmade Conversion Piece From a 1920’s Cufflink Measures Appr...
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, White Gold
Yurman Amethyst Diamond Sterling Silver Deco Cable Cocktail Ring
By David Yurman
Located in Miami Beach, FL
David Yurman sterling silver cocktail ring from the Deco collection. Features a cushion-shaped amethyst center with channel-set round brilliant diamonds at sides and cable motif thr...
Amethyst, Diamond, Silver, Sterling Silver
$4,800Sale Price / item|20% Off
Rainbow Opal Ring in 18ct gold
Located in Brisbane, AU
Rainbow Opal ring featuring a solid black opal in the centre surrounded by a rainbow of sapphires, mandarin garnets, amethyst and tsavorites. f/si ...
Amethyst, Opal, Peridot, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, ...
Antique Frog Ring Green Enamel Three Dimensional Silver Art Deco
Located in New York, NY
This is an absolutely wonderful antique Frog Ring in Silver with gorgeous green enamel and with the frog's tongue curving up to catch its favorite snack! ...
Silver, Enamel
Art Deco Sterling Silver Blue Topaz Marquisette Ring 1930's USA
Located in North Miami, FL
This lovely art deco ring is a beautiful blue topaz in the center surrounded with marquisettes set against sterling silver. It is a size 8. Can be worn day to evening. Sorry the photos do not do justice to the beauty and sparkle of this beautiful vintage ring...
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Sterling Silver
Ettore Sottsass "Ruota" 'Wheel' 18 Carat and Coral Ring, Limited Edition 1997
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Indulge in the sheer magnificence of an extraordinary creation: an 18ct gold and coral wheel ring designed by the esteemed Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007), an influential figure in 20th-...
Coral, 18k Gold