Sottsass (1917–2007) was an Austro-Italian designer and one of the most unconventional figures in twentieth-century design. He gained renown with his designs for the office equipment manufacturer Olivetti, for his poetic, minimalist sculptural objects, and as the leading figure of the Memphis design collective in the 1980s. Over the course of his long career, Sottsass moved between disciplines, leaving behind a fascinating oeuvre that is represented by many objects in the collection of the Vitra Design Museum.
His most famous works are his furniture designs for the Memphis group, which created a sensation and ushered in the postmodern aesthetic of the 1980s.
The shrill colors, patterns and forms of Memphis objects were inspired by motifs from everyday life, Pop culture and the non-European civilisations encountered by Sottsass during his extensive travels from the 1960s onward. This resulted in iconic objects like the Carlton bookcase (1981), the lamps Ashoka (1981) and Tahiti (1981), and the Tartar table (1985) – expressive objects that sought to communicate with the viewer and liberate themselves from a functionalist design approach.
Sottsass (1917–2007) was an Austro-Italian designer and one of the most unconventional figures in twentieth-century design. He gained renown with his designs for the office equipment manufacturer Olivetti, for his poetic, minimalist sculptural objects, and as the leading figure of the Memphis design collective in the 1980s. Over the course of his long career, Sottsass moved between disciplines, leaving behind a fascinating oeuvre that is represented by many objects in the collection of the Vitra Design Museum.
His most famous works are his furniture designs for the Memphis group, which created a sensation and ushered in the postmodern aesthetic of the 1980s.
The shrill colors, patterns and forms of Memphis objects were inspired by motifs from everyday life, Pop culture and the non-European civilisations encountered by Sottsass during his extensive travels from the 1960s onward. This resulted in iconic objects like the Carlton bookcase (1981), the lamps Ashoka (1981) and Tahiti (1981), and the Tartar table (1985) – expressive objects that sought to communicate with the viewer and liberate themselves from a functionalist design approach.
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Panorama: Dreams and PlacesFeb 19 – Oct 18, 2026Aiming to present a thematic narrative on contemporary photography and lens-based art in Türkiye, “Panorama: Dreams and Places” brings together a comprehensive selection of works produced since the 2010s by 18 artists from different generations.
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Allan SekulaPhotographer / FilmmakerAllan Sekula was an American photographer, writer, critic and filmmaker. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1951, he lived most of his life in Los Angeles and the surrounding regions of southern California.
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Zahrin KahloPhoto / Video ArtistZahrin Kahlo is originally Moroccan but lives and works in Italy as a photographer and video artist. She pursued classical studies, receiving a degree in Foreign Literature.
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World Press Photo 2026Winners & ExhibitionsWorld Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization that champions the power of photojournalism and documentary photography to deepen understanding of the world’s complexities, promote dialogue, and inspire action.
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Anna Hulačová: AbundantiaOct 1, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027
Anna Hulačová’s figurative sculptures combine influences from Surrealism, Socialist Realism, and Czech folk art to create a distinctive cosmos of their own. Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt is presenting the artist’s first solo exhibition in Germany…
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Sean Scully, 48Apr 18, 2026 – Dec 24, 2028LongHouse welcomes the world-renowned Irish American artist Sean Scully into the garden with his colored stack entitled 48, 2024, a work that epitomizes his deliberate use of stripes and color, with gestures toward land, sea, and sky.
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The Present as FoundOctober 2–23, 2026The divergent creative practices of this year’s Zvono Award finalists – Ljiljana Arsić, Isidora Branković, Mustafa Mlinarević, and Emina Veladžić – have shaped a media-heterogeneous, methodologically diverse, and conceptually multilayered exhibition.
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2027 Brooks International Fellowship ProgrammeDeadline: October 21, 2026
Tate, in collaboration with Delfina Foundation, invites applications for the Brooks International Fellowship Programme 2027. Now in its thirteenth year, the programme will enable practitioners to work with Tate…
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Wolf TonesOct 3, 2026 – Apr 4, 2027
Wolf Tones presents the work of six artists as a refracted analogy of an acoustic phenomenon. The wolf tone is an irregular vibration produced by a musical instrument such as the cello. It is the result of an acoustic conflict produced by its wooden body.
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Nadav Kander: The Edge of ThingsSep 18, 2026 – Jan 20, 2027Foam presents The Edge of Things, a major solo exhibition of the internationally renowned artist Nadav Kander. Over more than three decades, Kander has created some of the most celebrated images in contemporary photography...
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Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes ArtMar 28 – Nov 8, 2026
The UK’s first exhibition on Elsa Schiaparelli spans the 1920s to today, celebrating the innovative designer’s influence. It traces the fashion house’s groundbreaking origins and its evolution under current creative director Daniel Roseberry.
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Lotta Antonsson: I Am EverythingApr 25 – Nov 29, 2026One of Sweden’s leading contemporary photographers, Lotta Antonsson, is coming to Fotografiska with I Am Everything. In this exhibition, the artist explores themes of gender, identity, and objectification within a visual world
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Ulrich Seidl: On Life, Love, and DeathSep 19, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027Eye Filmmuseum presents Ulrich Seidl – Über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod, the first exhibition – and the first complete film overview – of the renowned Austrian filmmaker in the Netherlands.
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Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the SensesMay 16 – Dec 6, 2026
Van Herpen transcends conventional clothing norms while embracing both traditional couture artisanship and innovative techniques. Ranging from the micro to the macro, the exhibition explores the body’s place in space…
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Robert Rauschenberg & the NewsFeb 19, 2026 – Jan 4, 2027The New School Art Collection and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics are pleased to present Robert Rauschenberg & the News: Select Prints from The New School Art Collection...
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OFFSCREEN: 5th editionOctober 20–25, 2026OFFSCREEN Paris is a nomadic event that values contemporary, historic and avant-garde artists with image-based practices. With its distinct voice, it is a must-see highlight of Paris Art Week each October...
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Bill PhelpsPhotographerBorn in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bill Phelps has built an impressive career despite having no formal art training, lending his talents to Italian Vogue, French Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveller UK, The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and Interview, and picking up both an IPA Lucie Award and the Grand Prize of Portraits for the World Press Photo.
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Aesthetica Film Festival 2026November 4–8, 2026Aesthetica Film Festival announces its most expansive programme to date, with York set to become a meeting point for the people shaping the future of film, television, art, sound, games and immersive media this November.
Visit our New Announcement Submission page > Announcement Submission page >
