Download PDF (659 K)ETTORE SOTTSASS
1917 - 2007
One of the most significant counter-forces to modernism in the history of design, Ettore Sottsass made monumental artistic contributions to every decade since 1945. His remarkable career produced a provocative body of work, including architecture, furniture, industrial design, glass, ceramics, painting, photography and a wealth of writings. With this work he intellectually and aesthetically challenged the conventional wisdom of forms and proportions for over 65 years.
Sottsass was continually driven by a personal search for a new language of modern design. His rigorous pursuits led to the creation of such groundbreaking movements as radical design, anti-design, post-modernist architecture, and the founding of Memphis in the early 1980s.
A central concern of much of Sottsass' work was the social, cultural and technical implications of architecture and design on the way people live and interact. He was particularly affected by the new materials and technologies introduced during his lifetime. His exploration of these elements led him to apply both newfangled and historical materials in non-traditional ways. Color and form played a significant role in Sottsass' work. He is well known for having embraced them with an equally radical approach. Throughout the entirety of his career, from his early paintings of the 1930s to later works of architecture during the 1980s, Sottsass used color to determine shapes within a composition and the relationship of exterior surface to interior function.
Sottsass' remarkable career produced a diverse array of commissions that transformed architecture and design. Iconic built architectural works include Wolf House (1989) in Colorado and Milan's Malpensa Airport (2000). Objects he designed for Alessi and electronic products for Olivetti, including his iconic Valentine typewriter, have changed the landscape of industrial design. The Memphis movement, for which he is most popularly known, set the style for an entire decade.
Sottsass's career has recently been the object of major retrospective exhibitions: at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2006, the London Design Museum in 2007, and the Ghent Museum of Art. In addition, his works belong to the permanent collections of the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Art; and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
2007
Died December 31 in Milan, Italy
2001
Opening of Memphis Remembered at the Design Museum, London, England
2000
Sottsass Associati designed Milan's Malpensa airport, Italy
1985
Announced departure from Memphis
Returned to architecture at Sottsass Associati where he completed numerous industrial design projects
1981
Over 2,000 people attended the opening celebration for the first Memphis exhibition, Milan, Italy
Founded Sottsass Associati
1980
Formed Memphis design collective
1978
Collaborated with Alessandro Mendini and Andrea Branzi on Studio Alchimia's exhibition of 'new design' furniture at Milan Furniture Fair
1973
Founded Global Tools design school with Archizoom and Superstudio
1972
Participated in Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
1970
Won the Compasso d'Oro for Valentine typewriter
Art directed an ad campaign featuring the Valentine held by people all over the world
1967
Co-founded the Planeta Fresco literary magazine with Allen Ginsberg
1965
Designed pop-influenced totem ceramics and the first superbox closets coated in stripped plastic laminate. Sottsass described them as "crazy things"
1961
Traveled to India for three months became gravely ill and was hospitalized in Milan
Sent to United States by Roberto Olivetti for medical treatment
1959
Launch of Elea 9003 calculator. Worked on Tekne electronic typewriter
1958
Appointed as design consultant to Olivetti's new electronics division
1956
Traveled to New York to work in George Nelson's studio for one month
Back in Italy, he was invited to design furniture for Polotronova, near Florence, Italy
1945
Returned home to work for his father. Moved to Milan in 1946 to curate a craft exhibition at the Triennale
Began to contribute to Domus magazine
Set up his own architectural and industrial design practice
1939
Graduated in architecture from Turin University only to be called up into the Italian army. Spent most of World War II in a concentration camp
1936
Traveled to Paris with no money. Stayed in a flophouse near Gare de Lyon and survived on two cans of preserved fruit in three days
1929
Family moved to Turin so Ettore Jr. could study architecture
1917
Born in Innsbruck, Austria to an Italian father, the architect Ettore Sottsass Sr., and an Austrian mother, Antonia Peintner
EXHIBITIONS
2011
Postmodernism. Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
2010
European Design Since 1985. Shaping the New Century. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
2009
Ettore Sottsass: Antichi. Friedman Benda, New York, NY.
European Design Since 1985. Shaping the New Century. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
2008
Ettore Sottsass Archetypes 1965-1995. Friedman Benda, New York, NY
Design Cities. Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul, Turkey
5. Berlin Biennale für Zeitgenössische Kunst. Berlin, Germany
2007
Design contre Design—Deux siècles de creations. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, France
Ettore Sottsass. Ghent Museum, Ghent, Belgium
Ettore Sottsass New Works 2005-2007. Friedman Benda Gallery, New York, NY
Ettore Sottsass A Life in Design. Design Museum, London, England
Metafore. Gallerie Enrico Formello, Prato, Italy
2006
Ettore Sottsass: Architect and Designer. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2005
Ettore Sottsass. Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy
2004
Ettore Sottsass. Museo di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
Ettore Sottsass. Barry Friedman Ltd., New York, NY
2003
Ettore Sottsass. Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Colonge, Germany
Ettore Sottsass. Museo d'Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy
2002
Biennale di Venezia. Venice, Italy
2001
Memphis Remembered. The London Design Museum, London, England
2000
Museum of Modern Art, Gifu, Japan
Suntory Museum, Osaka, Japan
Marugame Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
1999
Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea L. Pecci, Prato, Italy
Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
Bonnefante Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands
Niitsu Art Forum, Niigata, Japan
Living Design Center Ozone, Tokyo, Japan
1997
Gallery Binnen, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1996
Gallery Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy
Galleria Dessa, Lubliana, Slovenia
Gallery Ma, Tokyo, Japan
Mourmans Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Design Gallery, Milan, Italy
1994
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Gallery Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
1993
Ettore Sottsass: Adesso pero. Reisseerinnerungen. Deichtorhallen Museum, Hamburg, Germany
La ultima oportunidad de ser vanguardia. Centre d'Art Santa Monica, Barcelona, Spain
Vitra Design Museum. Weil-am-Rhein, Germany
1991
Il dolce Stilnovo della casa. Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy
Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy
Abitare Italia, Tokyo
Energieen Exhibition. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1990
Memphis 1981-1988. Traveling exhibition: Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1989
Yamagiwa Art Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
1988
Bharata. Design Gallery, Milan, Italy
1987
Ettore Sottsass: Furniture for the Ritual of Life. Blum Helmann Gallery, New York, NY
Documenta 8. Kassel, Germany
1986
Caravelles. Museé Saint-Pierre art contemporain, Lyon, France
Design Since 1945. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
1985
Ceremonial Lights. Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
XVII Milan Triennial, Milan, Italy
Golden Eye: An International Tribute to the Artisans of India. Cooper- Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY
1982
Materialidea. Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
1981
Axis Galley, Tokyo, Japan
1980
Forum Design, Linz, Austria
1978
Venice Biennial. Venice, Italy
1976
MAN transforms. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY
Ettore Sottsass Jr. De l'objet fini à la fin de lobjet. Musée des Arts décoratif, Paris, France
Design Zentrum, Berlin, Germany
Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy
Centro de Diseño Industrial, Barcelona, Spain
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Visual Art Board, Sidney, Australia
1975
Architectural Studies and projects. Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
1972
The New Domestic Landscape. Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
1969
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Paesaggio per una pianeta fresco. Sverige Arckitecturmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden
Ceramiche tantriche. Galleria la Nuova Loggia, Bologna, Italy
Ceramiche di fumo. Galleria il Sestante, Milan, Italy
1968
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Design Center, Milan, Italy
1967
Menhirs, Ziggurat, Stupas, Hydrant & Gas Pumps. Galleria Sperone, Genova, Italy
1966
Centro Fly Casa, Milan, Italy
1965
Galleria Sperone, Turin, Italy
La Casa abitata. Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy
Le belle ragazze. Libreria Feltrinelli, Milan, Italy
1964
Offerta a Shiva. Galleria Aquilone, Florence, Italy
Galleria il Sestante, Milan, Italy
Galleria Tornabuoni, Florence, Italy
1963
Biennale d'Arte Contemporanea. Bari, Italy
Ceramiche delle Tenebre. Galleria il Sestante, Milan, Italy
1961
New York from Italy. Bolles Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Goldsmit's Hall, London, UK
1960
XII Milan Triennial. Milan, Italy
1958
Galleria il Sestante, Milan, Italy
1957
XI Milan Triennial. Milan, Italy
Galleria il Sestante, Milan, Italy
1955
Galleria del Naviglio, Milan, Italy
Galleria del Cavallino, Venice, Italy
1954
X Milan Triennial. Milan, Italy
1946
VIII Milan Triennial. Milan, Italy
Palais des Beaux-Art, Paris, France
AWARDS
2001
Honorary degree from the London Institute of Art, London, England
Honorary degree in Industrial Design from the Milan Polytechnic, Milan, Italy
Title of Grande Ufficiale per l'Ordine al Merito from the President of the Italian Republic
1999
Honorary degree from the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
1997
Oribe Award, Gifu, Japan
1996
Honorary Doctor of the Royal College of Art, London, England
Award Design from the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
1994
iF Award Design Kopfe from the Industrie Forum Design, Hanover, Germany
1993
Honorary degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI
1992
Awarded Officier of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic
MUSEUM AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France
Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy
Design Museum, London, England
Design Museum, Ghent, The Netherlands
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
LITERATURE
Ambasz, Emilio. Ed. Italy: The New Domestic Landscape. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1972.
A.V. 12 Interiors - Sottsass Associati. Milan: Terrazzo, 1998.
______. Sottsass Associati: arret sur l'image. Milan: L'Archivolto, 1993.
______. Ettore Sottsass: Drawings Over Four Decades. Frankfurt: Ikon, 1990.
______. Sottsass Associati. New York: Rizzoli International, 1988.
______. Kontinuitat von Leben und Werk: 1955-1975 von Ettore Sottsass. Berlin, 1976.
______. Ettore Sottsass: de l'Object Fini a la Fin de l'Object. Paris: Art Decoratif, 1976.
Branzi, Andrea. La Casa Calda. Milan: Idea Books, 1984.
Bure, Giles de. Ettore Sottsass Jr. Paris: Rivages, 1987.
Burney, Jan. Ettore Sottsass. London: Trefoil, 1991.
Carboni, Milco and Barbara Radice. Ettore Sottsass: Metaphors. Milan: Skira, 2002.
______. Ed. Ettore Sottsass. La Darrera oportunitat d'Esser Avantguarda. Barcelona, 1993.
______. Ettore Sottsass: Scritti 1946/2002. Milan: Neri Pozza Editore, 2002.
______. Sottsass Associati: 1980 - 1999 frammenti. Milan: Rizzoli, 1999.
______. The work of Ettore Sottsass and Associates. New York: Universe, 1999.
______. Trattato di architettura. Como: Atelier Lytos, 1999.
Delfini, Luca Dosi. The Furniture Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2004.
Di Castro, Federica. Ed. Sottsass's Scrap-Book. Milan: Casabella, 1976.
______. Ettore Sottsass: Scrap-Book. Milano: 1976.Ferrari, Fulvio. Ettore Sottsass: Tutta la
Ceramica. Turin: Allemandi, 1996.
Gaillemin, Jean-Louis. Design contre Design: Deux Siècles de Créations. Paris: Galeries nationals du Grand Palais, 2007.
Guenzi, Carlo. Le Affinita elettive. I Quadrini della Triennale. Milan: Electa, 1985.
Hoger, Hans Leo. Ettore Sottsass Jr. Berlin: Wasmuth, 1993.
Horn, Richard. Memphis. Objects, Furniture and Patterns. Philadelphia: Running Press, 1985.
Izzika, Gaon. Ettore Sottsass Jr. Exhibition catalogue from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel, 1978.
Labaco, Ronald T. Ettore Sottsass: Architect and Designer. New York: Merrell, 2006.
Martoranna, Antonio. Ed. Storie e progetti di un designer italiano. Quattro lezioni di Ettore Sottsass. Florence, 1983.
Miller, R. Craig, P. Sparke and C. McDermott. European Design Since 1985. Shaping the New Century. London: Merrell Publishers in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2009.
Radice, Barbara. Memphis. Milan: Electa, 1984.
______. Ettore Sottsass. Milan: Electa, 1993.
______. Giolleli di architetti. Milan: Electa, 1987.
______. Ettore Sottsass. New York: Rizzoli, 1987.
______. Memphis: Research, Experiences, Results, Failures and Successes of New Design. New York and Milan: Rizzoli International, 1984.
______. Memphis: the new international style. Milan: Electa, 1981.
______, and Ettore Sottsass. Design Metaphors. Milan: Idea Books, 1987.
Sato, Kazako. Alchimia. Never-Ending Italian Design. Tokyo, 1985.
Sparke, Penny. Ettore Sottsass Jr. London: Design Council, 1982.
Sottsass, Ettore and Alberico Cetti Serbelloni. Ed. Esercizi. Milan: 2002.
Sottsass, Ettore. Esercizi di Viaggio. Turin: Aragno, 2001.
______. Mobili Lunghi. Milan: Postdesign, 2000.
______. Architetture indiane e dintorni. Naples, 1998.
______. Lo specchio di Saffo. Milan: Postdesign, 1998.
______. Glass Works. Venezia: Vitrum, 1998.
______. Epifanie Brevi. Como: Atelier Lytos, 1998.
______. 151 Drawings. Tokyo: Gallery Ma, 1997.
______. Memorie de Chine. Knokke: Gallery Mourmans, 1996.
______. The curious Mr Sottsass. London: Thames & Hudson, 1996.
______. Walls. Milan: Terrazzo, 1995.
______. Big & Small Works. Gallery Mourmans, Knokke: 1995.
______. Ceramics. Zurich: Stemmle, 1995.
______. Adesso però. Reiseerinnerungen, Hamburg: Hatje Verlag, 1994.
______. Advanced Studies 1986-1990. Tokyo: Yamagiwa Art Fundation, 1990.
______. Bharata. Milan: Design Gallery, 1988.
______. Design Metaphors. Milan: Idea Books, 1988.
______. Curio cabinet, mirror, chairs, tables. New York: Blum Helman Gallery, 1987.
______. C'est pas facile la vie. Milan: il Melangolo, 1987.
______. Esercizio Formale. Milan, 1979.
______. Esercizio Formale n°2. Milan: Studio Forma/Alchimia, 1980.
______. Miljo for en N.Y. planet. Stokholm: National Museum, 1969.
Thomé, P. Ettore Sottsass Jr. de l'Object a l'Environment. Doctoral dissertation. Geneva: University of Geneva, 1991.
Vincenzo, Gian Piero. Memphis 1981 – 1988. Gronigen, 1989.