Ettore Sottsass Don Table Lamp in Green and White Metal for Stilnovo, 1977
About the Item
- Creator:Stilnovo (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Width: 5.12 in (13 cm)Depth: 12.6 in (32 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:220-240v,110-150v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Metal,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1990
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1710233347842
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Stilnovo
Though Bruno Gatta founded Stilnovo way back in 1946, it is still one of the most instantly recognizable names in lighting. Gatta (1904–76) began his business in Milan, and, like many European creatives designing furniture and decor in the wake of World War II, he leaned toward the new wave of mass-market and streamlined styles. In fact, Stilnovo loosely translates to “new style” in Italian, and vintage Stilnovo chandeliers, floor lamps and other lighting have endured as a practical choice for those looking to bring innovative and forward-thinking design into their homes.
Soon after Stilnovo was established, Gatta’s lighting fixtures were applauded throughout Europe for their novel industrial materials as well as their unique yet functional shapes. Italy during the mid-20th century was completely revolutionary, and Bruno Gatta and Stilnovo’s head designer, Angelo Gaetano Sciolari, helped shape the era.
When the 1960s arrived, Stilnovo was experiencing such a boom that the company opened a new production plant in Lainate. One of the brand’s most famous pieces, Giovanni Luigi Gorgoni’s quirky 1965 Buonanotte spherical table lamp, became a best seller.
Gatta partnered with some of the most well-known names in design, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Joe Colombo and Gae Aulenti. Sottsass’s pieces for Stilnovo, including the 1977 Valigia four-legged table lamp, the 1968 Lampros chandelier and Manifesto ceiling light, and the Castiglionis’ 1957 Saliscendi pendant light fixtures are some of the brand’s most recognizable to date. In 1978, De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi designed the Fante lamp with an adjustable reflector that playfully recalls a broad-brimmed hat.
Stilnovo’s designs, including Danilo and Corrado Aroldi’s flexible Periscope table lamp, were featured in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art. While Stilnovo continued to operate with new designer collaborations after Gatta’s death, it closed its doors in 1988.
Italian art director Massimo Anselmi acquired the company in 2012 and rereleased several of Stilnovo’s most celebrated pieces. Then in 2019, lighting giant Linea Light Group purchased Stilnovo and relaunched its classic designs with contemporary touches like LED lighting systems.
Find vintage Stilnovo chandeliers and pendants, wall lights, table lamps and other fixtures and furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Ettore Sottsass Pink 'Shiva Vase' for BD Barcelona, Spain, 1971By Ettore Sottsass, BD Barcelona DesignLocated in Amsterdam, NLEttore Sottsass ceramic pink 'Shiva Vase' designed in 1971 and produced by BD Barcelona, Spain. The vase will ship in the original box and is in excellent condition. Sottsass: “I continue to produce small, small, small architectures, such as this ceramic piece, for example, a little like monuments, a little like tombs, a little like the abandoned temples of the gods, a little like the ruins of the ancient and unknown civilization in which something –the say– was known; it is said that they understood the axes, the curves, the intersections, perhaps even the causation of the courses of the cosmic bodies, along which each day slide the private vertices of the atoms that make up our fragile flesh and...Category
Vintage 1970s Spanish Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Mario Botta Shogun Table Lamp in black and white for Artemide, ItalyBy Artemide, Mario BottaLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic Table Lamp 'Shogun' designed by Mario Botta in 1986 for Artemide, Italy. Painted metal stem and white adjustable diffusers in painted perforated plate steel. Excellent origina...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Bruno Gatta Wall or Ceiling Lamp Model 232 for Stilnovo, Italy, 1962By Bruno Gatta, StilnovoLocated in Amsterdam, NLBruno Gatta lamp Model 232 designed in 1962 for Stilnovo Italy. White metal shade hold by thin brass / black stem and white circular bracket all in very good condition. Only light tr...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Carlo Nason table or bedside lamp with Murano Glass for Mazzega, Italy 1970'sBy Carlo Nason, MazzegaLocated in Amsterdam, NLTable or bedside lamp designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, Italy 1970's. Opaque colored Murano glass in the shape of an icicle and standing on a metal base. Very good original condit...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Pinocchio Lamp with black shade by H. Busquet for Hala Zeist, NetherlandsBy Herman Theodoor Jan Anthoin Busquet, Hala ZeistLocated in Amsterdam, NLElegant table or wall lamps for Dutch lighting company Hala. Tripod base adjustable in height and angle. Minimalistic, beautiful and well thought out designed lamp in very good vinta...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Giancarlo Piretti Alky Lounge Chair in White Fabric for Anonima CastelliBy Anonima Castelli, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in Amsterdam, NLIconic Alky lounge chairs designed by Giancarlo Piretti in the sixties for Anonima Castelli, Italy. The shape of the chair is construct with foam printed direct on a metal frame with...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- vintage Ettore Sottsass "Don Lamp" for StilnovoBy Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Saarbrücken, SLIconic Don Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo from Deadstock (new condition) Ettore Sottsass is known for his radical italian design. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Valigia Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1977By Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in UTRECHT, NLFour-legged table lamp model Valigia. This oddly shaped table lamp is one of the many designs made by Ettore Sottsass. Inspired by the idea of a simple briefcase. The Valigia table l...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Don Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, 1970sBy Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Rotterdam, NLDon table lamp designed in 1977 by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Stilnovo. The lamp consists of a relative heavy emerald green cubic base, a white ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Ettore Sottsass classic "Don" lamp for Stilnovo, ItalyBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Skokie, ILThe lamp consists of a relative heavy emerald green cubic base, a white slanted rod and a striking adjustable white shade. This shade is connected to the light bulb with a white lacq...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- Don table lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Stilnovo, Italy, 1980sBy Stilnovo, Ettore SottsassLocated in Milano, ITThe table lamp "Don" was created by Ettore Sottsass and produced by Stilnovo. The cubic base is emerald green and elegantly extends through a white inclined rod that connects the bas...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Ettore Sottsass Valigia Table Lamp by Stilnovo, Italy, 1977By Ettore Sottsass, StilnovoLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantFour-legged table lamp model Valigia designed by Ettore Sottsass Jr, manufactured by Stilnovo, Italy, 1977. This funny shaped floor lamp is very typical out of the box thinking by Et...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal