Italian Mid-Century White Wooden Planter by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1961
View Similar Items
Italian Mid-Century White Wooden Planter by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1961
About the Item
- Creator:Poltronova (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)Width: 14.18 in (36 cm)Depth: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1961
- Condition:Minor losses. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:MIlano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4860226910802
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.
Poltronova
Poltronova is known for embracing the creativity that opposites can introduce to a space. Its radical modernist furniture and lighting fixtures are simultaneously grounded in classic aesthetics and inspired by what were then new and provocative artistic movements in mid-century Italy, when the company was founded. This tension resulted in unique and extraordinary pieces at the manufacturer, from eccentric, glove-shaped armchairs to striking dining tables that feature a mix of materials and textures.
Italian designer Sergio Cammilli founded Poltronova in Tuscany in 1957. That same year, it won the Compasso d’Oro for the Panchetto chair designed by Luciano Nustrini. Revolutionary Italian architect Ettore Sottsass — a maestro of postmodern design who would later establish the Memphis Group — came on board as an art director in 1958. Poltronova manufactured many of his furniture and ceramic designs. Sottsass’s lighting, seating and other works for Poltronova showcase the designer’s bold experimentation with solid wood, glass, metal and laminate materials.
Other established names in Italian furniture design collaborated with Poltronova’s Sottsass and Cammilli, including Giovanni Michelucci, Gae Aulenti and Angelo Mangiarotti. However, the company truly set itself apart in its collaborations with Superstudio and Archizoom Associati, groups that were part of an irreverent, avant-garde movement in art and design that took shape during the 1960s in Florence, Turin and Milan. Collectives associated with the movement — which would one day be called Italian Radical design — drew on Pop art and minimalism and explored working with unconventional materials to create colorful, quirky and uniquely shaped objects and furnishings. At the time, Poltronova also worked with up-and-coming names in the art world, like painter Max Ernst and sculptor Mario Ceroli.
Poltronova showcased its groundbreaking designs in many exhibitions, such as “La Casa Abitata,” which was held in Florence in 1965. At Milan's Eurodomus trade show in 1970, Poltronova debuted an entire bedroom collection designed by Sottsass — including his sensuous Ultrafragola mirror. The brand’s furnishings were included in a 1972 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art called "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape," and in 1977, Poltronova again won the Compasso d’Oro for a book called Fare Mobili con Poltronova (Making Furniture with Poltronova).
Poltronova's enduring and acclaimed furniture designs came to be loved far outside Italy. During the 1960s, importer Charles Stendig represented the company and helped introduce it to the American market.
In 2005, Poltronova established the Centro Studi Poltronova to recreate some of the company's iconic furniture. The brand has also recently collaborated with English architect Nigel Coates, who worked with a Poltronova master craftsman in Italy to design a series of limited-edition furniture in 2011, including the Domo chair.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Poltronova tables, seating, storage cabinets and more.
- Italian mid-century modern bed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1960sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern bed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1960s Single bed or daybed entirely made of wood. The structures of the headboard and back are made up of rectangula...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsMetal
- Wooden umbrella stand, Italian, by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, ca. 1950.By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in MIlano, ITRed-painted wooden umbrella stand with geometric tower shape design, square base, with supporting bottom also made of wood. Designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Poltronova...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsWood
- Italian mid-century modern table Loto Rosso by Ettore Sottsass Poltronova, 1965By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern table Loto Rosso by Ettore Sottsass Poltronova, 1965 Round dining table mod. Loto Rosso. The round top and base are in white Carrara marble, with rounded s...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Metal
- Califfo bed in solid wood by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, ca. 1960.By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in MIlano, ITCaliph model bed with all-wood frame in French or one and a half square size. Rectangular-section components with laths of various sizes throughout the headboard and backboard. Desig...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsHardwood
- Italian White Porcelain Floor Planter by Angelo Mangiarotti for Brambilla, 1965sBy Angelo Mangiarotti, Fratelli BrambillaLocated in MIlano, ITPorcelain floor planter by Angelo Mangiarotti for Brambilla, 1965s Large floor planter in white porcelain stoneware, composed of two separable pie...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsPorcelain
- Italian mid-century modern Square planter in steel and brass, 1970sLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern Square planter in steel and brass, 1970s Square planter in brass and steel intertwined. On the edge there are a thick brass profile. At the base it has 4 w...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Ettore Sottsass, Painted Wood Planter for Poltronova, Italy, Designed, 1961By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Wargrave, BerkshireDesigned by Ettore Sottsass in 1961 and manufactured by Poltronova, this white painted wooden planter has an internal metal tray to catch excess water from the plant pot. Conditi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsWood
- Ettore Sottsass Set of Two Planters for Poltronova, Italy, circa 1961By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Piacenza, ItalyEttore Sottsass set of two stained wood planters for Poltronova, Italy, circa 1961 This rare set is composed by two brown large plant holder and is combined with another set compose...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsSatinwood, Wood
- Rare Ettore Sottsass Plant Holder for Poltronova, Italy, 1962By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Milan, ITEttore Sottsass Plant holder for Poltronova, Italy, 1962 Rare extra-large Ettore Sottsass plant holder.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsWood
- Italian Mid-Century Brass PlanterLocated in Milano, ITElegant brass planter designed in the 1950s and produced by fine Italian manufacture. The base is composed of 4 legs paired two by two; both are thin gilded brass beautifully maintained, the front two going to fold over the back ones, creating a beautiful effect. Going up we see the actual structure of the planter, all made by sinuous brass workmanship. Centrally there is a heart made again with this technique. Inside is a metal basin...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Mid-Century Alabaster PlanterLocated in New York, NYItalian mid-century (1940s) large alabaster round bowl (jardiniere) with handles supported on a solid conical shaped base.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsAlabaster
- Mid-Century pair of Italian PlantersLocated in Brussels , BEMid-Century pair of Italian Planters mesurement of the largest Planters : 20 x 81 x 32 mesurement of the smallest : 20 x 91 x 32Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsCement
$1,198 / set