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Ashoka Large Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano

About
Details
- CreatorMemphis Group (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- DimensionsHeight: 96.52 cm (38 in.)Width: 78.74 cm (31 in.)Depth: 6.35 cm (2.5 in.)
- StylePost-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and TechniquesSteel,Enameled
- Place of Origin
- Period1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture1981
- Condition
- Seller LocationKansas City, MO
- Reference Number1stDibs: LU105708516533
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingShips From: Kansas City, MO
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
About the Designer
Ettore Sottsass
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.
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. They 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's 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 imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore 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.
- Ettore Sottsass Abat-Jour Table Lamp for B&B Italia Italy, 2005, Black GlassLocated in Kansas City, MOEttore Sottsass Abat-Jour table lamp for B&B Italia, Italy, 2005. Glazed ceramic base with a blown black glass shade, chrome-plated brass fixtures, and sand-blasted glass diffuser. N...Category
Early 2000s Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome, Brass
- Bertrand Cabinet by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Memphis, Milano, 1987By Massimo Iosa Ghini, Memphis GroupLocated in Kansas City, MORare Bertrand cabinet by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Memphis, Milano, 1987. Original condition with very few blemishes. This can be used as a bar cabinet, sideboard, or general storage.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Set of Six Mandarin Dining Chairs by Ettore Sottsass for KnollBy Ettore Sottsass, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOSet of six dining chairs designed by Ettore Sottsass, the founder of the Memphis Group, Milan, Italy. These chairs are in very good completely original condition. Super sturdy constr...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Westside Lounge Chair by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll, 1983, Expertly ReupholsteredBy Knoll, Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MORare Westside lounge chair by the master of Postmodern design, Ettore Sottsass. Expertly restored and reupholstered in the identical color fabric as the original. Made by Knoll.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MOEttore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The cabinet features three drawers over a drop-front writing surface concealing two draw...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Secretaires
MaterialsBrass
- Ettore Sottsass Umbrella Stand for Rinovel, 1955By Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MORare Ettore Sottsass umbrella stand for Rinovel, Italy, 1955. Quick shipping in the continental U.S. via FedEx, $175.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsAluminum
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