Studio alchimia was a design collective, founded in 1976 in milan, italy by italian architect alessandro guerriero. In 1980, he founded the firm sottass associates, where he continued his work as architect and designer. In 1983, two years after the founding of memphis, sottsass splintered off from his collective to partner with knoll studio, creating the eastside and westside collections. Ettore sottsass founds the memphis group by the end of the 1970 s, sottsass collaborated with studio alchimia, founded by alessandro guerriero, which was an important promoter in the establishment of new design in italy. Formal exercise nr 2 catalogue for decorative furniture in modern style 19781980 exercizio formale nr 2 catalogo di mobili decorativi di stili moderno ettore sottsass jr. Sottsass and his wife barbara radice also visited bedin in paris, and spotted the design for the super lamp while flicking through her sketch book. Dec 07, 2014 a new, comprehensive monograph on sottsass by philippe thome includes all of these totems, from the adorable valentine typewriter to the suave alessi fruit bowl, the meccanoset modernism of the. Design radical features six decades of his work and that of his contemporaries. The most enduring examples of the work of influential italian architect and designer ettore sottsass rowan moore on the godfather of italian cool. Ettore sottsass 14 september 1917 31 december 2007 was an italian architect and designer during the 20th century. Ettore sottsass born september 14, 1917, innsbruck, austriadied december 31, 2007, milan, italy was a seminal figure in 20 th century design, a prominent and unconventional postmodernist italian designer and architect, and founder of the design collaborative named the memphis group.
Creative meeting, destiny, side, float, and sotsass image ideas. Ettore sottsass 1917 2007, born in innsbruck, austria. Ettore sottsass floor lamp svincolo studio alchimia milano 1979 italian. Studio alchimia 19761992 was an influential collective of designers and theorists who worked to promote the avantgarde through various media and methods. His body of work included furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, home objects and office machine design, as well as many buildings and interiors. Oct, 2011 ettore sotsass 1980 factotum bookcase uses laminate designs that sotsas created for abets print laminate in 1978. See more ideas about design, memphis design and memphis milano. Ettore sottsass italian, 19172007 was an architect and designer, labeled the godfather of italian design.
Learn more about the piece and artist, and its final selling price. The metropolitan museum of art studio ettore sottsass srl. Studio alchimia was a postradical avantgarde group founded in milan in 1976 by alessandro. Of course, soontobe memphis star ettore sottsass also participated in alchimia, but these two visionary and outspoken architectdesigners began to butt heads. He was born in austria in 1917 and died in milan aged 90 in i love the layers of this table, what a fun way to add colour into a space. He later became a leading figure in the radical design movement, cofounding studio alchimia with alessandro mendini in 1976. Detail of the westside collection by ettore sottsass for knoll studio on the cover of graphis. World food books added a new photo at world food books. Catalogue for decorative furniture in modern style 1978.
Ettore sottsass, studio alchimia, memphis milano 5 catalogi sottsass alchimia memphis. Studio alchimia contribution to design and works casati. Studio alchimia chair from the ollo collection mar 24, 2009 wright in il on liveauctioneers. Sottsass designed this chair for studio alchimia, a design collaborative from the early 1980s that included work by alessandro mendini and andrea branzi. Aug 03, 2015 ettore sottsass carlton bookcase was the defining product of the 1980s memphis group, typified by bright coloured laminates and playful forms. During the 1980s, the memphis group, founded by ettore sottsass, revolutionized the european design scene, radically reinventing the language of form and color and challenging the status quo of functionalist design. Of course, soontobe memphis star ettore sottsass also participated in alchimia, but these two visionary and outspoken architectdesigners began to butt heads over whether they should put their postmodern ideas into production on an industrial scale. Dec 11, 2015 ettore sottsass was a pivotal figure of the late 20th century italian design scene. Uniting behind the goal to bring the most radical concepts into reality, studio alchimia built upon the energy of alreadyestablished groups such as archizoom while also proving foundational for the subsequent emergence of movements such.
He was born in innsbruck, austria, but his family moved in 1929 to turin, italy, where he grew up. Memphis is the great cultural phenomenon of the 80s that has revolutionised the creative and commercial logic of the design world. Jul 26, 2017 a polymathic italian designer, with muses and friends ettore sottsass. Best known as the founder of the early 1980s memphis collective, he also designed iconic products for olivetti, as well as beautiful glass and ceramics. Ettore sottsass, studio alchimia, memphis milano 5 catalogi.
For sale on 1stdibs floor lamp svincolo by ettore sottsass, studio alchimia milano 1979 laminated wood, chromed metal, neonlight. A polymathic italian designer, with muses and friends the. View this item and discover similar for sale at 1stdibs iconic carlton bookcase designed by ettore sottsass in 1981. In 1981, ettore sottsass formed a loosely organized group to pursue an ironic approach to design in which surface decoration was paramount. Sottsass, who designed for studio alchimia, left to form memphis in 1981 and would. Studio alchimia history design, retro graphic design. Alessandro guerriero, alessandro mendini, ettore sottsass. The emotional, psychological and anthropological activities expand to books, didactics, video metamorfosi and sounds matia bazar. Studio alchimia was an italian collective of designers and theorists who shared. From 1958 he was the design consultant for olivetti for over 20 years.
Studio alchimia was a postradical avantgarde group founded in milan in 1976 by alessandro guerriero and his sister adriana with the stated mission of materializing a nonexistent thing into being. Books by ettore sottsass organizes this vast body of work into. Alessandro mendini for alchimia, collection spiritelli 1991. Ettore sottsass carlton bookcase was the defining merchandise of the 1980s memphis group.
Born in austria and raised in milan, sottsass studied architecture at the politecnico di torino in turin. Wright is the premier auction house specializing in modern and contemporary design. Studio alchimia chair from the ollo collection consorzio esposizione mobiliitaly, 1988laminated plywood book designidentity 2015 done as a student project at artcenter college of design during the course of 14 weeks. From the book ettore sottsass architect and designer by ronald t.
Floor lamp svincolo by ettore sottsass, studio alchimia. Carlton bookcase roomdivider by ettore sottsass for memphis. Near mint original condition with the original memphis stamp. This book features the magazines and books which ettore sottsass wrote, illustrated or edited over a period of 60 years from 19472006. They mocked the scientific rational behind modernism. Ettore sottsass bookcase model factotum alchimia, italy for sale at. This chair and the initial collection designed by sottsass focused on the use of plastic laminates as the overall surface material. Much more than any individual, sottsass is credited with introducing a postmodernist method into layout. Ettore sottsass, michele dilucchi, andrea branzi, paola navone, ufo. Works on printed paper for which sottsass set up texts, illustrations andor graphic inventions. Le strutture tremano the structures tremble aste boetto. Alessandro mendini and ettore sottsass were the respective leaders of the alchimia.
Our dedication to design drives what we do and who we are. This is a charming, seemingly selfdesigned monograph with a brief essay by the noted italian designer ettore sottsass jr. Mendini became a leading exponent appropriated classic furniture of marcel breuer wassily chair. Buying from galleries faq buying from auctions faq consign with artsy. Carlton bookcase roomdivider by ettore sottsass for. View caravanserraglio centerpiece by ettore sottsass, jr. I put together a big book of all the things id wanted in the. Ettore sottsass 1917, austrian by birth but italian in heart and soul, opened his own architecture and design studio in 1947. During the 1980s, the memphis group, founded by ettore sottsass, revolutionised the european design scene, radically reinventing the language of form and colour and challenging the status quo of functionalist design. Ettore sottsass founded memphis in 1980 together with former colleagues from studio alchimia and a younger generation of architects and designers. Ettore sottsass biography ettore sottsass on artnet.
These included the founders of studio alchimia, superstudio and archizoom associati, who were focused on deconstructing classical architecture into new forms. Check my flickr feed for a less curated overview of entire pages from this magnum opus. Studio alchimia contribution to design and works casati gallery. The influential designs of ettore sottsass in pictures. In 1947 he set up a firm in milan where he dealt with architectural and design projects. Studio alchymia was founded by alessandro and adriana guerriero in milian in 1979. From studio alchymia to memphis monday, 27 january 2014. Whatever it is, this elegant apartment, located in the seventh paris arrondissement, is furnished with vintage gems by oscar niemeyer, and ettore sottsass combined with more harsh pieces. Ettore sottsass italian industrial designer britannica. One of the most significant counterforces to modernism in design history, ettore sottsass made monumental artistic contributions to every decade of his working life since starting his practice in the late 1940s.
Memphis was preceded in 1976 by the milanbased avantgarde collective, studio alchimia. Throughout his illustrious career in product design and architecture, ettore sottsass 19172007 maintained a close relationship with printed matter, designing, authoring, illustrating and editing a great many avantgarde literary and designarchitectural books and periodicals from 1947 right up until the year before his death. Joseph dirand minimal abitare interior design blog. Ettore sottsass laminates from 1978 retro renovation. The pivotal figures of the group were alessandro mendini and ettore sottsass jr. The memphis group was an italian design and architecture group founded in milan by ettore sottsass in 1981 that designed postmodern furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass and metal objects from 1981 to 1987 wiki the memphis groups work often incorporated plastic laminate and was characterized by ephemeral design featuring colourful decoration and asymmetrical shapes, sometimes arbitrarily. Poltrona proust, atelier mendini, studio alchimia and alessandro mendini, milan.
Radical italian design is a collaborative board book created with the deste. Ettore sottsass carlton bookcase was the defining product of the 1980s memphis group, typified by bright coloured laminates and playful forms. Sottsass, who designed for studio alchimia, left to form memphis in 1981 and would ultimately attract leading designers such as andrea branzi, michael graves, shiro kuramata, alessandro mendini, marco zanuso and nathalie du pasquier to the movement. These cupboards are made of plywood in 1965 ettore sottsas designed the popinfluenced superbox closet insidefront ettore sottsass wardrobes by fantastic ettore sottsass. During the 1980s, the memphis group, founded by ettore sottsass. Ettore sottsass biography, furntiure and designs casati. Since 2000 we have sold nearly 40,000 lots across the spectrum of 20th and 21st century design. Studio alchimia was an iconoclastic, radical design group founded in italy in 1976 by the italian. In 1982, studio alchimia composed drawings and fabricated objects for a performance at the fiorucci showroom in milan, entitled furnishings as clothes. Studio alchimia is an italian design studio founded by alessandro guerriero in 1976. Despite his many projects, we find that joseph dirands home in paris has a different aura, maybe because its for his personal use, perhaps it is just us imagining he put a little more of his soul in it. View this item and discover similar for sale at 1stdibs colorful iconic carlton bookcase or roomdivider designed by ettore sottsass for memphis milano in 1981. Cindi strauss insightfully explores the aesthetic inspiration and changing cultural mores. Ettore sottsass, italian industrial designer born sept.
Alas, despite the gargantuan length of this entry at least for me, im barely scratching the surface of studio alchimias sprawling output, which the book catalogues in impressive detail. In the latest instalment of our postmodernism series, we explore how its bright coloured laminates and playful kind typified memphis challenge to modernisms impersonal aesthetic. Sottsass s innovative approach to architectural, furniture, ceramic, jewelry, and industrial design has been extensively documented in recent books and periodicals. He received a degree in architecture from the turin politechnico in 1939. Ettore sottsass gopuram occasional table desi, a very bold statement piece ettore sottsass was an architect and designer during the century. Books i love scritto di notte written at night ettore sottsass.
It was a gallery for experimental work, not constrained creatively by industrial production. Sottsass worked both for studio alchimia and for the memphis group. We have pioneered whole fields of collecting and transformed the market for modern design. Studio alchimias aim was to recalibrate notions of craft to alignment. Ettore sottsass designed a series of cupboards sottsass was a young designer, who was then at the start of his career. Studio alchimia the art and popular culture encyclopedia. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at the politecnico di torino one of the most influential and important figures of the last century, architect and designer, he has participated in all radical movements whether created from the 70s and 80s. Acme releases deadstock memphis objects sight unseen. View seggiolina da pranzo chair by ettore sottsass, jr.
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