Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) was one of the most provocative and influential figures in 20th-century design. Born in Innsbruck, Austria, he graduated in architecture from the Turin Polytechnic in 1939. He served in the Second World War and spent several years in captivity before returning to Italy in 1947 and settling in Milan. There he moved in artistic as well as architectural circles, joining the Concrete Art Movement (MAC) in 1948 and exhibiting in its first group show. In 1957 he became art director of the furniture company Poltronova, and the following year began a partnership with Olivetti that would last more than thirty years. His Olivetti work, including the bright red Valentine typewriter of 1969, earned him three Compasso d’Oro awards and helped redefine what office machines could look like.

For Sottsass, design was never purely functional. He saw it as a form of cultural and social commentary, famously describing design as “one way to discuss life”. That philosophy came to a head in 1980, when he founded the Memphis Group. The collective included Michele De Lucchi, Andrea Branzi and Matteo Thun, with contributions from architects such as Hans Hollein and Arata Isozaki. Memphis rejected the restraint of modernism in favour of bold colour, clashing patterns and monumental, almost totemic forms, placing emotion and symbolism ahead of function. Pieces such as the Carlton bookcase (1981) and the Tatar table (1985) became defining images of the decade. In the same period he established Sottsass Associati with Aldo Cibic, Matteo Thun, Marco Zanini and Marco Marabelli.

Lighting carried the same spirit. His Callimaco floor lamp for Artemide, designed in 1982, is among the brand’s most iconic designs. Its horn-like diffuser, slender shaft and geometric base are each picked out in contrasting colours. The lamp has since been updated with integrated LED and remains in production today. Sottsass died in Milan on 31 December 2007, aged ninety. He is remembered as a designer who gave objects personality, humour and meaning.

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