Ettore Sottsass a Critical Biography

Italian designer Ettore Sottsass is celebrated intemationally for his contribution to architecture, industrial and furniture design, ceramics, jewellery, crafts, graphic design, and photography. He founded the Memphis group, and through its startling, eclectic and irreverent aesthetic he dominated furniture and interior style for over a decade. Almost every area of modem design displays his influence. Featuring over 100 full-page colour illustrations - photographs, architectural drawings, sketches, collages - this monograph explores Sottsass's work in all his many fields of activity, including his world-famous office products for Olivetti, and his colourful Memphis furniture. Barbara Radice, a long-time associate of Sottsass, gives a sensitive account of his life and work, drawing on her keen understanding of his talents, personality, preoccupations, likes and dislikes. She outlines his working methods, describes the inspiration he draws from popular culture, follows him on his constant travels, and explains the interactions necessary for his long-term responsibilities at Olivetti's design division. This is a complete summary of the career and achievement of Ettore Sottsass - not only perhaps the most important and gifted designer of modern times, but easily the most stimulating, innovative, inspired and entertaining. Barbara Radice is the editor of "Terrazzo" and a regular contributor to several Italian art and design magazines. She was co-author of "Sottsass Associates" (1989).