Ettore Sottsass

Italian architect and designer (1917–2007)

Born in Innsbruck in 1917 and trained in architecture in Turin, Ettore Sottsass established himself as one of the preeminent figures of twentieth-century Italian design. His oeuvre encompasses furniture, lighting, ceramics, glass, and architecture. A consultant for Olivetti from the late 1950s onward, he created the celebrated "Valentine" portable typewriter alongside Perry King in 1969, which went on to become an icon. In 1970, he designed the "Ultrafragola" illuminated mirror for Poltronova, whose undulating opaline plastic frame, lit from within, epitomizes the spirit of Italian Radical Design. In 1981, he founded the Memphis Group in Milan, redefining design conventions with vibrant colors, unexpected forms, and vernacular materials. Until his death in 2007, his work ceaselessly explored the expressive, sensual, and almost ritualistic dimension of objects.