Ettore Sottsass Coffee Table, circa 1970, Italy

DESCRIPTION: Ettore Sottsass Coffee table, can be divided into 7 parts giving the possibility of dozens of combinations. Very decorative piece made with wood lacquered in white.

CONDITION: Good condition. Wear consistent with age and use.

DIMENSIONS: Height: 44,5cm (17.52in) Width: 149cm (58.66in) Depth: 135cm (53.15in)

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: Ettore Sottsass was a renowned Italian architect, designer and artist born on September 14, 1917 in Innsbruck, Austria, and died on December 31, 2007 in Milan, Italy. He is considered one of the most important figures of design and architecture of the 20th century. Sottsass studied architecture at the Turin Polytechnic, where he graduated in 1939. During World War II, he worked in the studio of Gio Ponti, one of the most important architects of the time. In 1947, he moved to Milan, where he founded his own architecture and design studio.

ABOUT THE STYLE: Postmodernism is one of the most controversial movements in art and design history. Over two decades, from about 1970 to 1990, Postmodernism shattered established ideas about art and design, bringing a new self-awareness about style itself. An unstable mix of the theatrical and theoretical, Postmoderism ranges from the ludicrous to the luxurious – a visually thrilling, multifaceted style. Postmodernism had begun as a radical fringe movement in the 1970s, but became the dominant look of the 1980s, the ‘designer decade’. Vivid colour, theatricality and exaggeration: everything was a style statement. Whether surfaces were glossy, faked or deliberately distressed, they reflected the desire to combine subversive statements with commercial appeal. The work of Italian designers – especially the groups Studio Alchymia and Memphis – was promoted across the world through publications like Domus. Meanwhile, the energy of post-punk subculture was broadcast far and wide through music videos and cutting-edge graphics. This was the moment of the New Wave: a few thrilling years when image was everything.