Colonna Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano
About the Item
- Creator:Memphis Milano (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 78.75 in (200 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 11.82 in (30 cm)
- Power Source:Hardwired
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1988
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7450237178612
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.
Memphis Milano
To many people, postmodern design is synonymous with the Memphis Group. This Italian collaborative created the most radical and attention-getting designs of the period, upending most of the accepted standards of how furniture should look. Today, the Memphis Milano brand, which is managed by Alberto Bianchi Albrici, still produces designs created by the group between 1981 and 1988.
The Memphis story begins in 1980, when Ettore Sottsass, then a beacon of Italian postmodernism, tapped a coterie of younger designers to develop a collection for the Milan Furniture Fair the next year, determined that all the new furniture they were then seeing was boring. Their mission: Boldly reject the stark minimalism of the 1970s and shatter the rules of form and function. (Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror, designed in 1970, embodied many of what would become the collective’s postmodern ideals.)
The group decided to design, produce and market their own collection, one that wouldn’t be restricted by concerns like functionality and so-called good taste. Its debut, at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, drew thousands of viewers and caused a major stir in design circles.
So as a record of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile” played on repeat, they took their name from the song, devised their marketing strategy and plotted the postmodern look that would come to define the decade of excess — primary colors, blown-up proportions, playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art. A high-low mix of materials also helped define Memphis, as evidenced by Javier Mariscal’s pastel serving trays, which feature laminate veneer — a material previously used only in kitchens — as well as Shiro Kuramata’s Nara and Kyoto tables made from colored glass-infused terrazzo.
An image of Sottsass posing with his collaborators in a conversation pit shaped like a boxing ring appeared in magazines all over the world, and Karl Lagerfield furnished his Monte Carlo penthouse entirely in Memphis furniture. Meanwhile, members like Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Kuramata, Paola Navone, Peter Shire, George Sowden, Sottsass and his wife, journalist Barbara Radice, went on to enjoy fruitful careers.
Some people think of the Milan-based collective as the design equivalent to Patrick Nagel’s kitschy screenprints, but for others Memphis represents what made the early 1980s so great: freedom of expression, dizzying patterns and off-the-wall colors.
Eventually, the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990s minimalism, and Memphis fell out of fashion. Sottsass left the group in 1985, and by 1987, it had disbanded. Yet decades later, Memphis is back and can be traced to today’s most exciting designers.
“As someone who was born in the 1980s, Memphis at times feels like the grown-up, artsy version of the toys I used to play with,” says Shaun Kasperbauer, cofounder of the Brooklyn studio Souda. “It feels a little nostalgic, but at the same time it seems like an aesthetic that’s perfectly suited to an internet age — loud, colorful and utilizing forms that are graphic and often a little unexpected.”
Find a collection of Memphis Milano seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milano, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Sally Coffee Table by Shiro Kuramata for Memphis MilanoBy Shiro Kuramata, Memphis MilanoLocated in Milano, MIThis metal and glass coffee table was made by Shiro Kuramata in 1987 for the Memphis Group. Ideal in any ampiente. The product is accompanied by the certificate of authenticity and ...Category
Antique 1680s Center Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Floor lamp by SciolariBy Gaetano SciolariLocated in Milano, MIOriginal vintage floor lamp realized by the designer Gaetano Sciolari. The lamp is perfectly working. The lampshade has little signs of aging.Category
Antique 1660s Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Rossella LampBy Marco Zanini, Memphis MilanoLocated in Milano, MIMetal pendant lamp designed by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano in 1985. The product is purchased with authenticity certificate and guarantee stamp.Category
Vintage 1980s Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- SUNRISE CACTUS by Paul Smith for GuframBy Gufram Furniture, Paul SmithLocated in Milano, MISUNRISE CACTUS® Limited edition 1/169 Gufram and Paul Smith renew their collaboration to present the SUNRISE CACTUS®, a bold new interpretation of the iconic piece originally design...Category
2010s Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsPlastic
- Pezzato vase by Fulvio BianconiBy Venini, Fulvio BianconiLocated in Milano, MIezed vase Fulvio Bianconi Venini & C. 1951 H 22 cm diam. 15.5 cm 1951, IX Milan Triennale Letteratura: Murano Milan Venice GlasDie Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum 2010, p. 136 ...Category
Vintage 1950s Glass
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
- Vase ScavoBy Fulvio Bianconi, Ermanno Nason, Gino CenedeseLocated in Milano, MIBeautiful Murano Scavo glass vase with decorations depicting cave paintins. The design is by Fulvio Bianconi for Gino Cenedese Factory and it was realized by Ermanno Nason in 1964.Category
Antique 1660s Italian Vases
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
- Cavalieri Floor Lamp EU 220 V. by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Ettore Sottsass, Memphis MilanoLocated in La Morra, CuneoCavalieri Floor Lamp EU Wiring 220 V. in Wood and Plastic Laminate by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in wood and plastic laminat...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsPlastic
- KING'S Floor Lamp UE 230 V, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in La Morra, CuneoKING'S Floor Lamp UE Wiring 230 V. in Metal and Glass by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in metal and glass. Collection: Memphis...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- King's Floor Lamp EU 220 V. by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in La Morra, CuneoKing's floor lamp EU wiring 220 V. in Metal and Glass by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in metal and glass. Collection: Memphis...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Treetops Floor Lamp USA 110 Volts, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectBy Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoHere you are shown the US wired "Treetops" floor lamp designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981 in metal with halogen bulb. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated in architecture at the Politecnico di Torino. One of the most influential and important figures of the last century. As an Architect and Designer, he has participated in all radical movements whether created from the 1970s and 1980s. In 1981 he founded the Memphis group, a group that has radically changed the scenario of Italian and world design. Honored with numerous international awards, was winner of the Golden Compass in 1959. He designed the first laptop "Valentina" by Olivetti. He died in 2007 at the age of 90 years. Memphis Milano is the great cultural phenomenon of the 1980s that revolutionized creative and commercial logics in design. Born from the idea of Ettore Sottsass and a group of young designers and architects, in Milan, coupled in the years by famous designers from the international scene, Memphis turned upside down all of the existing parameters on living. Ettore Sottsass as the backbone of the group, design gained a new concept and expression through new shapes, materials and patterns, expanding the creative limits of the industry. Memphis became a symbol of New Design. Its influence is still clear in various sectors of production and beyond. Additional Info: - Dimensions: H 76.75 inches, Base W. 10.75 inches, D. 40.25 inches. - Materials: Metal. - Color options: Available in yellow fixture, orange stem, turquoise knob and mint green base; or in an orange fixture...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Italian 20thC "Treetops" Floor Lamp By Ettore Sottsass For Memphis Milano c.1980By Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentOriginally designed by Ettore Sottsass for his company Memphis Milano in 1981, the Treetops floor lamp has since become an icon of the Memphis design movement. Constructed from painted metal, the lamp perfectly balances irony and charm to create a fun design inspired by a tree bending in the breeze. The cast iron base is formed from a green wedge...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Other Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- KING'S Floor Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis MilanoBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Brooklyn, NYThe King lamp a very rare floor lamp (torchère) design by Ettore Sottsass for MEMPHIS (1983). Less than 30 were ever produced. It is fabricated from lacquered metal w/ a glass diffus...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal