Vase "Neobule" by Ettore Sottsass for Memphid Milano
View Similar Items
Vase "Neobule" by Ettore Sottsass for Memphid Milano
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 21.46 in (54.5 cm)Diameter: 9.73 in (24.7 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1986
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1035018152412
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.
- Astimelusa Ettore Sottsass for Memphis MilanoBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Shibuya-ku, TokyoAstimelusa by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano vetri collection in 1986.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Soliflore Murano Glass Vase attributed to Ettore Sottsass for VistosiBy Ettore Sottsass, VistosiLocated in Milan, ITSoliflore Murano Glass Vase attributed to Ettore Sottsass for Vistosi.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Aldebaran Glass Fruit Bowl, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis MilanoLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Aldebaran Glass Fruit Bowl was designed for Memphis in 1983 by Ettore Sottsass. This bowl features a tapering cylindrical shape with three green handles, with the side decorated ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Venini Puzzle Vase in Coral & Gray Glass by Ettore SottsassBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in Brooklyn, NYVenini Puzzle glass in coral/Gray by Ettore Sottsass. Numbered edition for year. Hand-blown glass. Color: Coral/Gray Technique: Opal Dimensions: Ø 27 cm, H 40 cm Year of Manuf...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Glass
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Venini Puzzle Vase in Coral & Aquamarine Glass by Ettore SottsassBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in Brooklyn, NYVenini Puzzle glass in coral/aquamarine by Ettore Sottsass. Numbered edition for year. Hand-blown glass. Color: Coral/Aquamarine Technique: Opal Dimensions: Ø 27 cm, H 40 cm Ye...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Glass
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Rucola Ceramic Plate, by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis MilanoBy Memphis Group, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis MilanoLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Rucola ceramic dinner plate was originally designed by Ettore Sottsass, in 1985, as part of a series of decorative plates. The playful names of the design items are a reminder of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsCeramic