Details

Title

Wardrobe (Superbox)

Artist/Maker

Ettore Sottsass Jr., (Italian, 1917 2007), designer
Poltronova, Italian, founded 1957, manufacturer

Date

1968

Medium

Wood and plastic laminate

Dimensions

80 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

Credit

Purchase through prior acquisitions

Accession #

2010.103 a-b

On View

On View - Wieland Pavilion, Skyway, Gallery 420

One of Italy’s most versatile and expressive architect designers from the second half of the twentieth century, Ettore Sottsass Jr. is internationally recognized for his significant artistic contributions. Inspired by Pop Art and Minimalism, in 1968 Sottsass began to use brightly colored plastic laminate—until then typically associated with kitchen and restaurant countertops—to surface his austere, monumental forms. Intent on creating a new furnishing type that read as both furniture and art, he covered the wardrobe units with plastic laminate on all sides so that they could stand in the middle of a room as totemic objects. Later he would call these works “superboxes” in reference to his existentialist belief that the minimalist forms could transcend mere function.

Image Copyright

© 2011 Ettore Sottsass

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