Sottsass Ettore
Born in 1917, Ettore Sottsass was at the forefront of avant-garde design practice in Italy for most of the second half of the 20th century. The Innsbruck-born Italian architect was a flamboyant, influential, highly original and occasionally despised designer who was a leading member of the group which established postwar Italy’s reputation for design. Sottsass made his name in the 1960’s as an industrial designer for Olivetti, particularly known for the iconic red Valentine portable typewriter. Sottsass also worked for other major manufacturers such as Alessi, Knoll, Artemide and the glass company Venini. His rejection of Modernism in the 1950’s was followed by involvement with the Anti-Design movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, with Studio Alchimia from the late 1970s, and Memphis during the 1980’s. He formed Sottsass Associates in 1980, thus consolidating his role as an important fulcrum for design discourse throughout the whole period. Sottsass’s work has been exhibited at major venues around the world for three decades and features prominently in the contemporary design collections of all major museums. Sottsass dies in 2007