Ettore Sottsass Ufo Lamp Arredoluce Italy 1957 Postmodern Space Age Design

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A postmodern space age “UFO Lamp” designed by Ettore Sottsass for Arredoluce, Italy 1957. Molded plastic, enameled brass, and lucite. … Read more A postmodern space age “UFO Lamp” designed by Ettore Sottsass for Arredoluce, Italy 1957. Molded plastic, enameled brass, and lucite. The lamp features a domed yellow diffuser suspended within a square frame supported by four slender black rods. Its bold geometry and industrial materials reflect Sottsass’s interest in technology, architecture, and futurism – hallmarks of his evolving design philosophy in the late 1950s. The UFO lamp predates the Memphis movement but foreshadows its visual language. Rare and highly collectible, it has been exhibited in retrospectives on mid-century Italian lighting and appears in institutional collections like the Vitra Design Museum and Triennale di Milano.

Provenance: From a private estate in Southeast Michigan. Dimensions: 13.75”h x 11”w x 11”d. In very good condition. Full condition reports are available upon request.

Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) was an influential Italian architect and designer, best known as the founder of the Memphis Group, which revolutionized postmodern design in the 1980s with its bold colors and geometric forms. Early in his career, he worked for Olivetti, designing the iconic Valentine typewriter. His work spans furniture, ceramics, glass, and architecture, blending functionality with playful aesthetics. Sottsass’s designs are in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. He has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Design Museum London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among his honors are the Compasso d’Oro award and the Austrian State Prize for Industrial Design. See less