Sottsass

Abstract

Take a glimpse inside the archive of the founder of the Memphis Group and designer of the Olivetti Valentine typewriter in Ettore Sottsass, a lavishly illustrated monograph chronicling the life and works of the unparalleled Italian designer and architect. A gorgeous object in itself, the unique design of the book allows it to either be read cover-to-cover as a narrative history, or by discipline, picking up the relative thread under each period, with multi-colored tabs to distinguish each sub-chapter. Packed with 800 beautiful images taken from the extensive Sottsass archives - many of which have never been published before - and including drawings and sketches from the designer's countless sketchbooks, the book also includes four short essays from experts in their fields, including Deyan Sudjic, director of London's Design Museum.

Contents

The road to Memphis / Francesca Picchi -- The architecture of memory / Deyan Sudjic -- Flatland / Emily King -- The cigarette behind Kerouac / Francesco Zanot -- Letter, terrazzo 4 / Aldo Rossi -- The freedom of creative thought / Andrea Branzi.