Carlton Room Divider
Decorative Arts and Design

Carlton Room Divider
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Ettore Sottsass Jr., (Italian, 1917-2007), designer
Memphis, Milan, 1981-1988, manufacturer
Memphis, Milan, 1981-1988, manufacturer
Date
1981
Medium
Plastic laminate and medium-density fiberboard
Accession #
1986.49
Dimensions
77 x 74 3/4 x 18 1/4 inches
Location
On View - Wieland Pavilion, Skyway, Gallery 420
Description
Italian architect-designer Ettore Sottsass’s philosophy was that design should enrich the human condition through color, form, and personal experience. The Milan-based design group Memphis, founded by Sottsass in 1981, championed his characteristically exuberant use of color and evocative forms—exemplified by the Carlton room divider—calling for “a new way of imagining everyday objects, for a different outlook on life.” Breaking from limitations of mid-twentieth-century modernist theory with its playful, lively designs, the global success of Memphis was the catalyst for postmodern international design.
Credit
Purchase with funds from the Decorative Arts Acquisition Trust and funds raised by David G. HayesImage Copyright
Courtesy Sottsass Associati EEIG, Milan
© 2011 Ettore Sottsass