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.
Mandarin Table, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Mandarin table in plastic laminate, metal and glass, designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he gr...
Glass, Plastic
Memphis Milano Hyatt Table by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Toronto, ON
Imposing and superb, Hyatt by Ettore Sottsass evokes the structure of the classical column with the “capital” equal to the base. A side table that certainly does not go unnoticed for...
Metal, Chrome
Ettore Sottsass 'Ivory' Pedestal for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Dallas, TX
Ettore Sottsass 'Ivory' Pedestal for Memphis Milano, 1985.
Laminate
$5,534
H 27.76 in Dm 51.19 in
Ettore Sottsass Lotto Rosso / Super Loto Dining Table, Poltronova, Italy, 1970s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A Lotto Rosso / Super Loto dining table designed by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Poltronova, Italy, 1970s. In very good original condition. Fast ship...
Granite, Metal
Ettore Sottsass City Dining Table for Memphis Milano, 1983
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Kansas City, MO
Ettore Sottsass "City" dining table in black and brown spotted laminate with chrome plated steel legs. Very good condition with light scratches seen upon close inspection in raking ...
Steel, Chrome
$12,500 / set
H 42.5 in W 40.5 in D 84.75 in
Ettore Sottsass & Marco Zanini for Leitner Donau Collection Bed and Nightstand
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Marco Zanini, Memphis Group
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and iconic Italian post-modern Donau Collection bed and matching nightstand designed by master architect and furniture designer Ettore Sottsass (Austria/Italy, 1917-2007) in collaboration with Marco Zanini (Milan, Italy; b.1971) for Leitner Interior Design, circa 1988. Scarce design, bold and dramatic, sculptural-form, exceptionally executed in bird’s-eye maple lacquered and laminated wood, including blue accents and columns that offer a visually striking contrast. Retaining the original manufacturer's label, signed, 195/88. Provenance / Acquisition: Acquired from highly reputable auction house Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. Design Signature Auction catalog #8110 Dimensions: (approx) Bed: (Twin XL...
Laminate, Wood
On Hold|$4,436
H 29.53 in Dm 34.65 in
Unusual, Unique Table in the Style of Ettore Sottsass, France, 1970/80s
By Mario Bellini, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
An unusual, unique table in the style of Ettore Sottsass, France, 1970/80s. Black and white stone or marble base, four lacquered metal legs and a reddish / yellow marble or stone top...
Marble, Metal
$26,364
H 28.75 in W 96.07 in D 56.7 in
Arquitectonica 1984 Madonna Table Desk Memphis Milano Postmodern Miami Sottsass
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Arquitectonica
Located in Munster, NRW
Madonna table by Arquitectonica Miami for Memphis Milano, 1984. Iconic an extremely rare postmodern piece and one of the only Memphis Group productions whose design was commissione...
Wood
Memphis Milano Mimosa Table by Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Toronto, ON
With its elementary shapes and delicate pastel colours, Mimosa by Ettore Sottsass seems to have come out of the world of childhood or dreams. This work asks us to free our imaginatio...
Glass, Laminate, Wood
Ettore Sottsass Mettsass Red Metal and Glass Table
By Ettore Sottsass, BD Barcelona Design
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Mettsass table designed by Ettore Sottsass in Barcelona manufactured by BD. The structure is made of flat sheets of steel, painted in red RAL 3001. The glass is painted in the sam...
Steel
Volcano Table by Ettore Sottsass for Zanotta
By Ettore Sottsass, Zanotta
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1980s. Italy. Very rare tri leg table with chrome legs and patterned top. Tagged.
Chrome
$16,434 / item
H 27.96 in W 30.01 in D 30.01 in
Unique Shiny Veneer Grandmaster’s Game Table by Ekin Varon
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique matte grandmaster’s game table by Ekin Varon Dimensions: D 76.2 x W 76.2 x H 71 cm. Stools: D 35.5 x 40.6. Materials: Dark walnut & blackened leather. Backgammon & ch...
Leather, Maple, Walnut
$7,171
H 15.36 in Dm 18.9 in
Ettore Sottsass Rocchettone Round Side Table in Walnut Wood by Poltronova 1960s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Rocchettone side table realized in lacquered walnut wood with bright orange decorations (under the table top and on the base), it was designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by ...
Wood, Plastic, Walnut