Ettore Sottsass Beverly Bookcase or Room Divider for Memphis, Milan, Italy, 1981
View Similar Items
Ettore Sottsass Beverly Bookcase or Room Divider for Memphis, Milan, Italy, 1981
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 88 in (223.52 cm)Width: 69 in (175.26 cm)Depth: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1981
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor wear. Some loss of chrome (see photos). Very good original condition.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU105701278904
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.
- Ashoka Large Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis MilanoBy Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in Kansas City, MOAshoka lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis, Milano, 1981. Excellent condition.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Ettore Sottsass Umbrella Stand for Rinovel, 1955By Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MORare Ettore Sottsass umbrella stand for Rinovel, Italy, 1955. Quick shipping in the continental U.S. via FedEx, $175.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsAluminum
- Ettore Sottsass Vases from 27 Woods for a Chinese Artificial FlowerBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MOTwo large vases by Ettore Sottsass from 27 woods for a Chinese Artificial flower. Edition S (red) is SOLD. Each from the edition of 12. From...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsBrass, Gold Leaf
- Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Kansas City, MOEttore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The cabinet features three drawers over a drop-front ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Secretaires
MaterialsBrass
- Set of Six Mandarin Dining Chairs by Ettore Sottsass for KnollBy Knoll, Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MOSet of six dining chairs designed by Ettore Sottsass, the founder of the Memphis Group, Milan, Italy. These chairs are in very good completely original condition. Super sturdy constr...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Original Ettore Sottsass Photography Art, 1975. SignedBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MOGelatin Silver Print Laid to Board. Signed, titled and dated 'Everybody Has Done His Business... But Some Keep Playing, Ettore Sottsass Jr. 1975'. Literature: The Complete Retrospec...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Photography
MaterialsWood, Paper
- Carlton Memphis Milano Bookcase or Room Divider by Ettore Sottsass, 1981By Ettore SottsassLocated in Chicago, ILMemphis Milano Carlton bookcase by Ettore Sottsass. Post-Modern, sculptural, multicolor "Carlton" room divider or bookcase, designed by Sottstass ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood, Laminate
- 'Carlton' Room Divider and Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, ItalyBy Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in London, GBProbably the most iconic of all Ettore Sottsass' designs, the colourful Carlton is half room divider, half bookcase and full size sculptural marvel. Des...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Bookcases
MaterialsLaminate, Wood
$15,741 Sale Price / item20% Off - Suvretta Plastic Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Suvretta bookcase in plastic laminate was originally designed in 1981, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsPlastic
- Carlton Wood Miniature Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoHere you are shown an authentic and perfect reproduction of the Carlton bookcase, originally designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass. The vivid colors and...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood, Plastic
- Ettore Sottsass - "Carlton" BookcaseBy Ettore SottsassLocated in PAU, FRBookcase named "Carlton" design by Ettore Sottsass in 1981. Produced by Memphis Milano, Italie. Height : 198 cm Width : 190 cm Depth : 40 cmCategory
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Casablanca Wood Cabinet, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoCasablanca cabinet designed in 1981 for Memphis by Ettore Sottsass, in wood and plastic laminated colors. This is an unlimited edition with a number...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood, Plastic