Ettore Sottsass, Loto Rosso table for Poltronova

ETTORE SOTTSASS (Austria, 1917 - Italy, 2007) for Poltronova.
Table "Loto Rosso", design from the 1960s. Edition of the 1980s.
Marble and metal.
Measurements: 70 x 120 x 120 cm.

The Loto Rosso table represents a key moment in the evolution of Ettore Sottsass and Italian design: it synthesizes a transition from modern rationalism towards a more emotional and symbolic conception of the object, where the piece of furniture ceases to be merely functional and becomes a sculptural presence. With a radically simple geometry (circle and cylinder) and the expressive use of materials such as marble, the table anticipates ideas that Sottsass would later develop in Memphis-especially the iconic and almost ritualistic charge of the design-and also embodies the experimentation of Poltronova in the 1960s, a firm that promoted innovative pieces that broke with traditional design, placing this table as an important precedent of radical Italian design.

Ettore Sottsass was an influential Italian architect and designer, considered one of the key figures of 20th century design, known for breaking with traditional functionalism and opting for a more emotional, symbolic and expressive approach; He worked for years for Olivetti designing iconic objects such as the Valentine typewriter, and in the 1980s he founded the Memphis group, with which he revolutionized postmodern design through the use of bright colors, bold geometric shapes and unconventional materials, advocating that objects should not only be useful, but also communicate, provoke and generate experiences.