Ettore Sottsass "Diodata" Vase for Vistosi

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.

Demonstrative of a unique marriage between artistry and technical excellence, Vistosi lighting fixtures were born from a rich Italian glassmaking tradition. The prolific glass manufacturer came to prominence after World War II for its modernist lighting designs, and today Vistosi is known for opulent chandeliers, lamps and sconces.

The history of Vistosi reaches as far back as 1640, when the Gazzabin family of Murano opened a furnace for producing Murano glass art. "Vistoso," which was originally a nickname, became part of the family's surname and eventually the name “Vistosi” was used to refer to the family’s glass creations.

Vistosi would be recognized by the glassmakers’ guild in Murano during the late 18th century — with Gio-Batta Vistosi becoming head of the guild — but Napoleon dissolved the Venetian state and closed the region’s glass factories by 1807. The modern iteration of the Vistosi company was founded in Murano in 1945 by Guglielmo Vistosi, a Gazzabin family heir.

During the 1950s, Vistosi's grandchildren, Gino and Luciano Vistosi, began specializing in lighting. In the 1960s and ‘70s, the company worked with renowned Italian furniture designers like Adalberto Dal Lago, Ettore Sottsass and Gae Aulenti. One of Vistosi's most famous collaborations was with Italian architect and designer Angelo Mangiarotti. In 1967, Mangiarotti designed a modular crystal-hook lighting system called Giogali that has enjoyed popularity and acclaim to this day.

In 1989, Vistosi was taken over by businessman Giancarlo Moretti, who had an extensive background in the lighting industry. Moretti's son, Matteo Moretti, reinvigorated the business with a series of new design collaborations in 1993. Some of the most notable partnerships included Chiaramonte and Marin, Mauro Olivieri and Michele De Lucchi.

Vistosi has participated in every Euroluce showcase since the lighting exhibition began in 1976. In 2005, the company won the ADI Design Index award for Mangiarotti's Giogali system. In 2007, Vistosi won the Eurispes award and participated in a Compasso d'Oro competition.

Today, Vistosi is still a leader in the lighting industry, shifting to LED and creating new types of lead-free crystal glass for its stunning range of lighting fixtures.

Find a collection of vintage Vistosi lighting and decorative objects on 1stDibs.