To many people, postmodern design is synonymous with the Memphis Group. This Italian collaborative created the most radical and attention-getting designs of the period, upending most of the accepted standards of how furniture should look.
The Memphis story begins in 1980, when Ettore Sottsass, then a beacon of Italian postmodernism, tapped a coterie of younger designers to develop a collection for the Milan Furniture Fair the next year, determined that all the new furniture they were then seeing was boring. Their mission: Boldly reject the stark minimalism of the 1970s and shatter the rules of form and function. (Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror, designed in 1970, embodied many of what would become the collective’s postmodern ideals.)
The group decided to design, produce and market their own collection, one that wouldn’t be restricted by concerns like functionality and so-called good taste. Its debut, at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, drew thousands of viewers and caused a major stir in design circles.
So as a record of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile” played on repeat, they took their name from the song, devised their marketing strategy and plotted the postmodern look that would come to define the decade of excess — primary colors, blown-up proportions, playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art. A high-low mix of materials also helped define Memphis, as evidenced by Javier Mariscal’s pastel serving trays, which feature laminate veneer — a material previously used only in kitchens — as well as Shiro Kuramata’s Nara and Kyoto tables made from colored glass-infused terrazzo.
An image of Sottsass posing with his collaborators in a conversation pit shaped like a boxing ring appeared in magazines all over the world, and Karl Lagerfield furnished his Monte Carlo penthouse entirely in Memphis furniture. Meanwhile, members like Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Kuramata, Paola Navone, Peter Shire, George Sowden, Sottsass and his wife, journalist Barbara Radice, went on to enjoy fruitful careers.
Some people think of the Milan-based collective as the design equivalent to Patrick Nagel’s kitschy screenprints, but for others Memphis represents what made the early 1980s so great: freedom of expression, dizzying patterns and off-the-wall colors.
Eventually, the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990s minimalism, and Memphis fell out of fashion. Sottsass left the group in 1985, and by 1987, it had disbanded. Yet decades later, Memphis is back and can be traced to today’s most exciting designers.
“As someone who was born in the 1980s, Memphis at times feels like the grown-up, artsy version of the toys I used to play with,” says Shaun Kasperbauer, cofounder of the Brooklyn studio Souda. “It feels a little nostalgic, but at the same time it seems like an aesthetic that’s perfectly suited to an internet age — loud, colorful and utilizing forms that are graphic and often a little unexpected.”
Find a collection of vintage Memphis Group seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Metropole Clock, by George Sowden for Memphis Milano Collection
By George Sowden, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Metropole Clock in plastic laminate, designed in 1982, George Sowden. George Sowden was born in Leeds, UK in 1942. He studied architecture at Gloucestershire College of Art in the 1...
Plastic
Howard Miller Iconic Clock by George Nelson
By Howard Miller
Located in Riverdale, NY
Iconic and classic Howard Miller ball clock from the 1950's by George Nelson. Wonderful Atomic style with a central clock motif with 50's styl...
Metal
$933 / item
H 20.48 in W 7.88 in D 11.82 in
Italian Ceramic Vase Red Model by George Sowden for Superego Editions.
By Superego Editions, George Sowden
Located in Milan, Italy
Red ceramic vase of the RedYellowBlack collection designed by George Sowden and produced by Superego Editions. Limited edition of 50 pieces. Signed and numbered. Biography George J. Sowden is a designer with experience in various fields of Industrial Design activity. These range from the development of mass-produced electronic products, to handmade low volume artisan objects, including ceramics glass textiles and carpets. His first working experience in Italy was with Ettore Sottsass. He collaborated with Olivetti for more than 20 years and was one of the founder members of Memphis. He has been consultant to Olivetti, Alessi, Bodum, Fratelli Guzzini, Lorenz, Memphis, Moulinex, Post Design, Pyrex, Rancilio, Steelcase, Swatch, Segis, Tefal, Telecom Italia, IPM, and others. He established SowdenDesign in 1981 through which he develops his consultant activities as an Industrial designer, whilst maintaining collaborators in the studio with which he develops his experimental/research work. SowdenDesign products have been published in many books on design...
Ceramic
1980s Memphis Style Red Triangle Base Desk Clock
By Memphis Milano
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A perfectly designed 1980s Memphis Milano-inspired desk clock with a black triangular base, red plastic case, and black and white squiggle face. Looks like it could've been designed...
Plastic
Danese Milano Kuno Prey Concrete Clock, 1986
By Danese Milano
Located in Meer, VAN
Danese Milano Kuno prey concrete clock. Italy, 1986. This is a very rare post-modern concrete clock designed by Kuno Prey for the Milanese company Danese....
Concrete
$466
H 7.09 in W 5.91 in D 2.37 in
Handcrafted Memphis style desk clock made from copper, Netherlands 1980s
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in ECHT, NL
Hand crafted table clock. The housing has been hand made from copper plate and opper wire. The details are painted in primary colors giving it the distinctive Memphis "look" and fee...
Copper
1980s Postmodern Desk Clock by Shohei Mihara for Wakita
By Wakita, Nathalie du Pasquier, Shohei Mihara, George Sowden
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A fantastic Japanese postmodern vintage desk, mantel, or shelf clock by Shohei Mihara for Wakita. (This design can also be found with markings from NEOS, the clock company that spec...
Metal
Lorenz Nicolai Canetti Postmodern Memphis Wall Clock
Located in San Diego, CA
1980s Postmodern Memphis wall clock designed by Nicolai Canetti for the "ARTime Collection" Featuring a black frame and colorful geometric hands. S...
Plastic
$1,400
H 12.21 in Dm 5.52 in
Nilo Vase, Designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for the Collection Memphis Milano
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Beirut, LB
The Nilo vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis Milano 1981-1988. Produced by Memphis in 2013-2014. A classic by Sottsass, the Nilo porcelain vase is par...
Porcelain
Neos Wall Clock 2 George Sowden Nathalie du Pasquier Postmodern
By Nathalie du Pasquier, Memphis Milano, Lorenz, George Sowden
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Neos clock designed by George Sowden and Nathalie du Pasquier in the 80s. Neos is the brand run by Lorenz clock company in Italy. They were designed a lot o...
Plastic
Vintage Museum Wall Clock by Nathan George Horwitt for Howard Miller
By Howard Miller, Nathan Horwitt
Located in San Jose, CA
Mid Century Modern museum wall clock designed by Nathan George Horwitt for Howard Miller Clock Company, Zeeland Michigan. Encased with an eggshel...
Metal
Memphis Milano style table clock in painted metal, 1980s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in STRASBOURG, FR
1980s table clock made of painted sheet metal and plastic, Memphis Milano inspired design, in the style of Ettore Sottsass. In mint condition, taken out of its box for the photo, i...
Metal
Postmodern Brass Candle Holders, Memphis Milano Style, Circa 1980s
By Michael Graves (b.1934), Aldo Londi, Memphis Milano, (After) Gio Ponti, Memphis Group
Located in Round Top, TX
This exceptional duo of brass candle holders exemplifies a refined fusion of neoclassical elegance and minimalist form. The sleek, polished brass bases anchor the design, while the a...
Brass
Sold
H 17.01 in W 6.07 in D 3.51 in
1983 G. Sowden Oppenheimer Table Clock Orange Green Enameled Steel Stained Ash
By Memphis Group, George Sowden
Located in Arosio, IT
Objects for the Electronic Age was a series of items designed by the Memphis Group, of which George J. Sowden was one of the finders, to...
Stainless Steel