Ettore Sottsass red Valentine Typewriter for Olivetti, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Olivetti (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.73 in (12 cm)Width: 13.39 in (34 cm)Depth: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1710235338602
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Ettore Sottsass Pink 'Shiva Vase' for BD Barcelona, Spain, 1971By BD Barcelona Design, Ettore SottsassLocated in Amsterdam, NLEttore Sottsass ceramic pink 'Shiva Vase' designed in 1971 and produced by BD Barcelona, Spain. The vase will ship in the original box and is in excellent condition. Sottsass: “I continue to produce small, small, small architectures, such as this ceramic piece, for example, a little like monuments, a little like tombs, a little like the abandoned temples of the gods, a little like the ruins of the ancient and unknown civilization in which something –the say– was known; it is said that they understood the axes, the curves, the intersections, perhaps even the causation of the courses of the cosmic bodies, along which each day slide the private vertices of the atoms that make up our fragile flesh and...Category
Vintage 1970s Spanish Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Fabrizio Ballardini Ribalta Sofa and Daybed red-brown leather for Arflex ItalyBy ArflexLocated in Amsterdam, NLThe Ribalta sofa and daybed was designed by Fabrizio Ballardini for Arflex in the eighties. The hinged corners of the sofa are adjustable, creating a versatile and playful whole from...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- Cees Braakman CB07 Secretaire in Birch red / blue plywood for Pastoe NetherlandsBy Cees Braakman, PastoeLocated in Amsterdam, NLStylish Secretaire Model CB07 designed by Cees Braakman and manufactured by Pastoe in the 1950s, the Netherlands. This Secretaire was part of the 'Birch Series' of Pastoe and inspire...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
MaterialsBirch
- Giancarlo Piretti Alky Lounge Chair in Autumn Velvet for Anonima Castelli, ItalyBy Giancarlo Piretti, Anonima CastelliLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic Alky lounge chair designed by Giancarlo Piretti in the sixties for Anonima Castelli, Italy. The shape of the chair is construct with foam printed direct on a metal frame with ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Bruno Gatta Wall or Ceiling Lamp Model 232 for Stilnovo, Italy, 1962By Bruno Gatta, StilnovoLocated in Amsterdam, NLBruno Gatta lamp Model 232 designed in 1962 for Stilnovo Italy. White metal shade hold by thin brass / black stem and white circular bracket all in very good condition. Only light tr...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Giancarlo Piretti Plia Folding Chair in Lucite and Chrome for Castelli, ItalyBy Anonima Castelli, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in Amsterdam, NLThe Plia folding chair is an inventive and beautiful design by Giancarlo Piretti for Castelli in 1967, Italy. This icon is included in every standard publication on 20th century (fur...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti Valentine Typewriter, Italy 1960sBy Olivetti, Ettore SottsassLocated in Naples, ITFamous and Iconic Portable Typewriter Mod. Valentine designed by Ettore Sottsass and Peter King, for the company Olivetti Italia in 1960, the typewriter is in very good condition wit...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsMetal
- Olivetti "Valentine" Typewriter by Ettore SottsassBy Olivetti, Ettore SottsassLocated in Vienna, ATFamous portable typewriter by Sottsass for Olivetti, Italy from the 1960s. Totally functional with some wear. 3 pieces available.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsSteel
- Valentine by Ettore Sottsass 1968 OlivettiBy Ettore Sottsass, OlivettiLocated in Lucca, ITValentine Rossa Macchina da Scrivere design Ettore Sottsass production Olivetti Italy 1968 Valentine original and complete with everything first series . Fantastic typewriter , Vale...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsPlastic
- Portable typwriter valentine by Ettore Sottsass / Perry King for OlivettiBy Olivetti, Perry King, Ettore SottsassLocated in Frankfurt am Main, DEThe Olivetti Valentine is a portable, mechanical, travel typewriter that was manufactured by the Italian company Olivetti from 1969 to 2000. It is known for its unconventional design...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsMetal
- Valentine Typewriter by Ettore Sottsass produced by Olivetti, Italy ca. 1960sBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Geneva, CHVintage iconic Valentine typewriter designed by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Olivetti, Italy ca. 1960s Very good working condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Desk Sets
MaterialsSteel
- Macchina da scrivere Valentine rossa - Ettore Sottsass - Olivetti - 1968By Ettore SottsassLocated in Milano, MIMacchina da scrivere Valentine rossa Descrizione Macchina da scrivere Valentine disegnata da Ettore Sottsass per Olivetti nel 1968 e prodotta ad Ivrea. Qui presentato il primo modell...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Inkwells
MaterialsIron