Ettore Sottsass

A towering figure in post-modern design, Ettore Sottsass changed the visual landscape of the decades following WWII, most notably as the protagonist of the Memphis Group. Active between 1980 and 1987, this collective’s bright, geometric forms made from terrazzo and plastic defined their generation’s futuristic style. Yet Sottsass’s six-decade-long career was much more encompassing than this single movement, as he strived to develop the poetry behind every object he touched: ‘Functionalism is not enough,’ he said. ‘Design should also be sensual and exciting.’

Born in Innsbruck in 1917, Sottsass grew up in Turin, Italy’s automotive industry heartland. Following in his father’s footsteps as an architect, he graduated from the city’s prestigious Politecnico di Torino, before joining the Italian army on the eve of war.

In 1946 Sottsass moved to Milan to curate an exhibition of craft for the VII Triennale. The following year, he established his own design studio, which worked across ceramics, jewellery, furniture, buildings and sculpture.

Following a stay in New York City in 1956, where he worked in the office of the American modernist master George Nelson, Sottsass created some of his iconic, pre-Memphis designs. These included the Canada sofa, Panca bench and Lotorosso table, constructed from monochrome leathers, teak woods, lacquered metals and Carrara marbles. Around this time, he also designed several typewriters for Olivetti, including the landmark Valentine model.

Throughout the 1970s, Sottsass’s designs began to draw on the myths, rituals and totems of the cultures he encountered on trips to India and America. These experiences began to shape his vision for Memphis design, and on 11 December 1980, he founded the movement. Key works from the period include his Carlton and Casablanca shelves and Tahiti lamp.

In 1985 Sottsass left the Memphis group to concentrate on his architectural practice. Amongst his most distinguished projects were Casa Olabuenaga in Maui and Milan’s Malpensa airport. He died in Milan in 2007, aged 90.