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. Today, the Memphis Milano brand, which is managed by Alberto Bianchi Albrici, still produces designs created by the group between 1981 and 1988.
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 Memphis Milano seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Matteo Thun "Garda" Table centerpiece / Porcelain Amphora for Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Matteo Thun
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Matteo Thun in 1982 for Memphis Milano, the "Garda" amphora is a striking embodiment of the revolutionary Postmodern design movement. Diverging ...
Porcelain
Andrea Branzi "Labrador" Silver-Plated Brass Sauceboat for Memphis Milano
By Andrea Branzi, Memphis Milano
Located in Varedo, Lombardia
The Concept & Inspiration Designed by Andrea Branzi in 1982 for Memphis Milano, the "Labrador" sauceboat is a striking embodiment of the revolutionary Postmodern design movement. Bra...
Brass
Titicaca Porcelain Vase, by Matteo Thun from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Matteo Thun
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Titicaca porcelain vase was originally designed by Matteo Thun in 1982, winks an eye to the largest lake in South America, its design follows a line of experimentation with a dis...
Porcelain
$1,850 / item
H 15.75 in Dm 8.67 in
Euphrates Vase in Porcelain by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Euphrates vase in porcelain by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional information: Porcelain vase. Collection: Memphis Milano Designer: Ettore Sottsass Year:...
Porcelain
Nilo Porcelain Vase by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Nilo vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis Milano 1981-1988. A classic by Sottsass, the Nilo porcelain vase is part of thre...
Porcelain
Chad Teapot, by Matteo Thun from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Matteo Thun, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Chad teapot was originally designed by Matteo Thun for Memphis, in 1982. The decorated white porcelain pot's shape is more interested in its fo...
Porcelain
Tigris Porcelain Vase by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The "Tigris" porcelain vase, comprised of stacked, spouted and coiled forms covered in powder blue, white and black glazes, Memphis Milano collection. The Tigris Vase was originally ...
Porcelain
$11,680 / item
H 18.9 in Dm 5.91 in
Alcor Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Alcor Glass Vase was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1983 for Memphis. Signed on the base. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at...
Glass
30 Pasifila Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Pasifil Glass Vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1986 for Memphis. It's part of the “Vetri Glass” collection, made in blown Murano glass. Signed on the base, for ...
Glass
$11,680 / item
H 14.57 in Dm 5.12 in
Alpha Centaury Glass Flower Vase, by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Marco Zanini, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Alpha Centaury Glass Flower Vase was designed by Marco Zanini in 1982. Signed on the base, please see below for further information. Marco Zanini was born in Trento in 1954. He ...
Glass
$8,870 / item
H 18.9 in Dm 3.94 in
Alioth Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Alioth Glass Vase was designed by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis in 1983. The Venetian glass vase features blue fusions and black threads. Signed on the base. Ettore Sottsass was b...
Glass
Deneb Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Deneb vase in multicolored glass was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1982 for Memphis. Signed “E.Sottsass per Memphis Milano”. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in...
Glass
Baykal Flower Vase, by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Marco Zanini, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Baykal Flower Vase was originally designed by Marco Zanini in 1982. Marco Zanini was born in Trento in 1954. He graduated in architecture at the University of Florence and perfects...
Ceramic
$12,600 / item
H 17.33 in Dm 5.12 in
Altair Glass Flower Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Altair Glass Flower Vase was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1982. Signed on the base, please see below for further information. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. I...
Glass
$11,680 / item
H 12.6 in Dm 11.82 in
Mizar Glass Vase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Mizar vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1982. The piece features clear and blue glass with multicolored handles. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at the Politecnico di Torino One of the most influential and important figures of the last century, Architect and Designer, he has participated in all radical movements whether created from the 1970s and 1980s. In 1981 he founded the Memphis group, a group that has radically changed the scenario of Italian and world design. Honored with numerous international awards, was winner of the Golden...
Glass
13 Malide Vase, by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The 13 Malide glass vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1986. The vase is part of the “Malide Glass” collection. Made in Murano glass, and signed on the base “E.Sottsa...
Glass
14 Astidamia Vase, by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis Milano
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Astidamia glass vase was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1986. The vase is part of the “Astidamia Glass” collection. Made in blown Murano glass, and signed “E.Sottsass ...
Glass