Ettore Sottsass Canada Armchair in Blue Velvet and Wood Poltronova 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Poltronova (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Early 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Montecatini Terme, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5304222272772
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Florence, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Ettore Sottsass Califfo Sofa in Wood and Multicoloured Velvet Poltronova 1960sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITTwo-seater Califfo sofa with a structure in a orange/red lacquered wood seat and back are structured by cushions upholstered with velvet fabric in a mixed...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Velvet
- Ettore Sottsass Flying Carpet Armchair by Bedding Brevetti 1970s ItalyBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITThe Flying Carpet or Tappeto Volante armchair is an iconic seat with a base and an armrest in beech wood, the seat, and the back are made with polyuret...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Velvet
- Ettore Sottsass Rectangular Wooden Coffee Table by Poltronova 1960s ItalyBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITA rectangular low coffee table entirely made in wood, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Agliana 1960s. The son of an architect, Ettore Sottsass Jr. (1917-2007) was born i...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ettore Sottsass Dining Table in Wood and Black Lacquered Metal by Poltronova 50sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITRound dining table or living room table with four legs in black lacquered metal, table top in wood and brass details. The peculiar tabletop presents a beautiful decoration due to t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Ettore Sottsass Rocchetto Round Side Table in Walnut Wood by Poltronova 1964By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITRocchetto side table realized in lacquered walnut wood with bright orange decorations (under the table top and on the base), it was designed by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Po...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Tables
MaterialsWood, Plastic, Walnut
- Ezio Longhi Mitzi Armchair in Black Wood and Red Velvet for Elam Italy 1950sBy Elam, Ezio LonghiLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITMid-century modern Mitzi armchair with a black ebonized wooden structure, seat, and, back upholstered with a bright red velvet. Designed by the Italian designer Ezio Longhi for E...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Ettore Sottsass model "Califfo" sofa for Poltronova, Italy, 1960sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILEttore Sottsass model "Califfo" sofa for Poltronova, Italy, 1960s Additional Information: Materials: Lacqured wood, upholstery Dimensions: 22" H x 979" W x 31 1/2" D Condition: Ver...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet Armchairs, 1960sLocated in Puglia, PugliaThis pair of armchairs, typical Italian design of the 1960s, has been restored and reupholstered in black velvet.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood, Lacquer
- Set of 8 Chairs in teak and black boucle by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1960By Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in amstelveen, NLEttore Sottsass set of 8 dining/cocktail chairs for Poltronova, Italy, in the 1970s. A simplistic yet very strong design in lines and proportions. Wonderful solid teak wooden frame, ...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Teak
- Armchair Round Capitonné, Blue Velvet Fabric, Made in ItalyBy VG New TrendLocated in Treviso, TrevisoVG furniture represent luxury in terms of exclusivity, distinction and high quality. They are the result of sophisticated and exclusive design with a strong identity and are the outc...Category
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Fabric, Wood
- Pair of Poltronova Armchairs with Ashtrays, Italy 1960sBy PoltronovaLocated in Greding, DEPair of Poltronova armchairs with red lacquered frame, veneered armrests and three-piece seat covered with black leather. In the armrests are embedded small ashtrays.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- 20th Century Ettore Sottsass Pair of Ottomans Mod Dado T29 for Poltronova, 1960sBy Poltronova, Ettore SottsassLocated in Turin, TurinEttore Sottsass grew up in Turin, and graduated in architecture from the Turin Polytechnic in 1939. In 1947, he founded his own studio in Milan. In 1956, Sottsass moved to New York where he began working in the studio of the designer George Nelson. Back in Italy, he began important collaborations with Poltronova (1957) and Olivetti (1958). From the late 60s to the 70s he collaborated with Superstudio and Archizoom Associati, as part of the Radical Architecture movement, until the founding of the Memphis group in 1981. Ettore Sottsass has been the recipient of numerous international awards and was the winner of the ADI Compasso d'Oro Award in 1959. His works are now exhibited in the permanent collections of many museums around the world. Here we have a pair of wooden ottomans...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsWood