Ettore Sottsass model "Califfo" sofa for Poltronova, Italy, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Poltronova (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 979 in (2,486.66 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Seat Height: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Wood,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1962
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Very good vintage condition with minor scratching and signs of age and use.
- Seller Location:Skokie, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8194234533432
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: Skokie, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Archizoom Vintage White "Superonda" Sofa, Poltronova, Italy, 1960sBy Poltronova, Archizoom Associati, Andrea BranziLocated in Skokie, ILArchizoom vintage original white "Superonda" sofa for Poltronova, Italy, 1960s An icon of Italian Design of the Post-modern Radical design era. The Superonda was a symbol of the new...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFoam, Upholstery
- Ettore Sottsass "Bruco" luminous ceiling fixture for Poltronova, Italy, 1970sBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILEttore Sottsass rare model "Bruco" luminous hanging ceiling fixture for Design Centre / Poltronova, Italy, circa 1970s Rare model "Bruco" ceiling pendant lamp from the Mobili Grigi ...Category
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsSteel, Aluminum
- Marco Zanuso three-seat original "Lady" sofa for Arflex, Italy, 1960sBy Marco Zanuso, ArflexLocated in Skokie, ILMarco Zanuso three-seat original "Lady" sofa for Arflex, Italy, 1960s. Original fabric retains Arflex logo. Reupholstered in houndstooth.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Ettore Sottsass classic "Don" lamp for Stilnovo, ItalyBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILThe lamp consists of a relative heavy emerald green cubic base, a white slanted rod and a striking adjustable white shade. This shade is connected to the light bulb with a white lacq...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- "Treetops" Floor Lamp by Ettore Sottsass, 1981By Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILEttore Sottsass "Treetops" floor lamp for Memphis Milano, Italy, 1981 Additional Information: Materials: Enameled steel, enameled aluminum, aluminum Dimensions: 76 3/4” H x 29 1...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel, Aluminum
- "Demistella" Demilune Console Table in Marble by Ettore Sottsass, Italy, 1980sBy Up & Up, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILEttore Sottsass "Demistella" marble demilune console table for UP & Up, Italy, 1980s A beautiful ad iconic demilune shape console tabl...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Ettore Sottsass Califfo Sofa in Wood and Multicoloured Velvet Poltronova 1960sBy Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated 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
- Mid-Century Orange "Califfo" Sofa by Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova, Italy, 1960sBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern orange "Califfo" sofa by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Italy, 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Italian Danube sofa by Ettore Sottsass for CassinaBy Ettore Sottsass, CassinaLocated in Milano, ITImmerse yourself in the captivating world of postmodern design with the legendary "Danube" sofa, a two-seater masterpiece designed by the iconic Ettore Sottsass for Cassina in 1992. ...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsIron
- Sofa Sofo Model by Superstudio for Poltronova, ItalyBy Superstudio, PoltronovaLocated in Milan, ItalySofa in polyurethane with base in molded plastic and upholstery in cotton and viscose. The Sofo is a seat to be placed in a row, like a train, or to be stacked to build solid colored mountains. It is just a block, obtained by means of an “S” cut, from a polyurethane cube, covered with a fabric crossed by two large lines. It is the result of a very simple operation, without waste, neither material nor thought. It is presented as a compact, abstract and colorful object...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsCotton, Plastic
- Ettore Sottsass Canada Armchair in Blue Velvet and Wood Poltronova 1960sBy Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITCanada settee armchair with a structure in wood, seat and back in padded blue-green velvet. It was designed by Ettore Sottsass Jr in 1959 and produced by the Italian company Poltro...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Ettore Sottsass Flying Carper Sofa for Bedding BrevettiBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Padova, ITEttore Sottsass designed this sofa after having known the Indian culture. A crucial journey in his formation is that of 1961 in India, undertaken with Fernanda Pivano. On this journe...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Velvet, Wood