Ettore Sottsass, Synthesis chair for Olivetti

ETTORE SOTTSASS (Austria, 1917 - Italy, 2007) for Olivetti.
Synthesis chair, design 1973.
Metal and ABS plastic with an Oxblood finish.
Publisher's stamp.
With signs of wear typical of its age, but remains in very good vintage condition.
Measurements: 58 x 75 x 53 cm.

The Synthesis chair, designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1970 for the Olivetti firm, is a fundamental piece of office design that broke with the gray and rigid sobriety of the working environments of the time. Conceived as part of an integral furniture system, the chair stands out for its playful and industrial aesthetics, characterized by a painted metal structure and a shell made of plastic material (ABS) or upholstered in vibrant and unconventional colors for an office, such as intense red, blue or ash gray. Adjustable, comfortable and manufactured to the highest standards, the original Olivetti Synthesis chair is a welcome addition to any home office. Finished in Oxblood, also known as the Memphis color, this chair is a clear design icon.

Ettore Sottsass was a prominent Italian architect and designer of the second half of the 20th century, founder of the Memphis design group. He studied at the Polytechnic University of Turin, and after serving three years in the army, in 1947 he set up his own office in Milan, called "The Studio". He worked as a design consultant for Olivetti for more than twenty years, producing for the firm the "Valentina" typewriter (1969), which revolutionized the market, and the "Elea 9003" calculator, among other classic designs. He was also internationally known as an architect, involved in numerous projects around the world. Throughout his career he collaborated with leading figures in the world of architecture and design, such as Aldo Cibic, James Irvine and Matteo Thun. In 1981 he founded the Memphis Group, of which he would become one of the leaders, together with Barbara Radice. Sottsass enjoys international prestige thanks to his pioneering work in the renewal of design and architecture, which has managed to overcome the severe functionalism that preceded and followed World War II. In his language, this influential master of Italian design puts the potential energy and vitality of design and color before rigidity and intellectuality. He is currently represented at MoMA and the Metropolitan in New York, the Design Museum in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.