Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass (1917-2008) was a designer and philosopher who strived to shake up the static ways in which people thought about design. Born in Austria, Sottsass studied at the Turin Polytechnic and is identified as one of the major forces behind the immense wave of design that began flowing out of Italy after the war. In 1981, Sottsass formed the anti-design group, Memphis. Memphis was made up mostly of young designers who were interested in producing radical objects and furniture that debated the relevance of modern design. His 1986 "Teodora" chair and the 1981 "Casablanca" sideboard illustrated the light, playful attitude of his postmodern Memphis designs. The work produced in the 1990s and 2000s also included more sculptural ceramic work and decorative glass works produced in limited editions for Venini and Vistosi.