Mid century Memphis clock by Ettore Sottsass, 1980s

A very rare find in the collection of Memphis founder Ettore Sottsass’ collection of designs. Ettore Sottsass (14 September 1917 – 31 December 2007) was an Italian architect and designer during the 20th century. His body of work included furniture, jewelry, glass, lighting, home objects, office machine design, and many buildings and interiors. His style was defined by bright color choices, statement pieces, and decoration. Ettore Sottsass was an iconic figure in design history. Ettore Sottsass founded the Memphis Group in Milan on 11 December 1980, after the Bob Dylan song "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again" played during the group’s inaugural meeting. The group was active from 1981 to 1988. The Memphis group was created in a reaction against the status quo. Sottsass centered the group’s thinking around “radical, funny, and outrageous”—essentially, disregarding what was considered in “good taste” at that time. Art deco, the color palette of Pop Art, and Kitsch theme from the 1950s inspired their work. Colorful laminate and terrazzo were commonly found in their work and incorporated in floors, tables, and lamps.