Lot 323
323
ETTORE SOTTSASS (1917-2007)
ETTORE SOTTSASS (1917-2007)

'LE STRUTTURE TREMANO' TABLE, DESIGNED 1979

Details
ETTORE SOTTSASS (1917-2007)
'LE STRUTTURE TREMANO' TABLE, DESIGNED 1979
produced for Studio Alchimia, lightly iridescent enamelled finish to tubular steel, plastic laminate and glass
46 ¼ in. (117.5 cm.) high; 19 ¾ in. (50 cm.) square
Literature
Similar examples illustrated:
B. Radice, Memphis, Milan, 1984, p. 15;
G. Gramigna, 1950-1980 Repertorio, Milan, 1985, p. 493;
G. Sambonet, Alchimia 1977-1987, Turin, 1986, p. 28, cat. no. 34;
R. Labaco, Ettore Sottsass, Architect and Designer, Los Angeles, 2006, p. 29;
P. Thomé, Ettore Sottsass, London, 2014, p. 290.
Exhibited
Ettore Sottsass, Mobili dal 1947-1985, Galleria Rocca 6, Turin, 1985

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Lot Essay

The ironic title of the table 'Le Strutture Tremano', or 'The Structure Trembles' is a deliberate yet respectful play on the modernist idea of visible structure and functionality. In this table, the tubular metal legs are made to appear unstable, and illustrates Sottsass' interest in the workings of colour and pattern. The Alchymia collections Bau.haus I and II explored the idea of banality and kitsch in the everyday environment, drawing on the colour palette and elements of the design vocabulary of the 1950s, and represented a template for the establishment of Memphis in 1980.

An example of this design is retained in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

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