Ettore Sottsass, for Morellato

ETTORE SOTTSASS (Innsbruck, Austria, 1917 – Milan, 2007) for Morellato.
“Amarcord” photo frame, ca. 2000.
Veined pink marble, chrome-plated metal, red-lacquered metal, and glass.
Features the designer’s engraved signature and the Morellato manufacturer’s mark on one of the metal supports.
In very good condition, with slight signs of use.
Bibliography: *Interni*, *Designaffair*, November 2003, No. 536, p. 36, fig. 3 (documented model).
Measurements: 14 x 21 x 5 cm.

The “Amarcord” model is a unique creation by Ettore Sottsass for the Italian firm Morellato, in which the designer applies his characteristic postmodern style to a small-scale household object. Its composition combines a rectangular base of veined pink marble with two chrome-plated cylindrical supports that hold a red-lacquered top piece, between which the glass for the photograph is placed. The hallmarks of the solidity of the marble, the shine of the metal, and the chromatic intensity of the top piece reflect Sottsass’s interest in the relationships between geometry, color, and materials. The purity of its lines and its architectural character transform this functional object into a small sculptural piece.

Ettore Sottsass was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Italian design and one of the leading proponents of the postmodern movement. Trained as an architect, he developed significant collaborations with firms such as Olivetti and Poltronova, and in 1981 he founded the Memphis group, which revolutionized international design through the expressive use of color and geometric forms. His work is part of prestigious collections, including those of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.