The incredible life story of one of the 20th century's most important designers, who knew everyone from Hemingway to Picasso. Ettore Sottsass and the Poetry of Things chronicles the life and times of one of the most important, prolific, and, above all, interesting designers and architects of the 20th century. Sottsass (1917-2007), originally trained as an architect and worked as a design consultant for Olivetti, where he developed the iconic Valentine typewriter, before going on to found the Memphis Group in the 1980s, ushering in an era of influential designs in furniture, ceramics and lighting that continue to inspire design minds today with their flamboyance and use of color. Author Deyan Sudjic (Director of London's Design Museum) does not limit his narrative to an examination of Sottsass' iconic designs. Though a native son of Italy, Sottsass cast a shadow of influence on the entire world, traveling extensively over the course of his life and interacting with some of the 20th century's most iconic figures, including Picasso, Hemingway and Allen Ginsberg. Sudjic's writing, complemented by unpublished personal photographs from Sottsass' archive, offers a unique view of Sottsass from the perspective of the world that surrounded him, recounting anecdotes of encounters between the designer and his famous contemporaries. The result is a unique and comprehensive portrait not only Sottsass but of the last 100 years of design in Italy and around the world. Features anecdotes of his encounters with the biggest creatives of the time, and details of his influences and inspirations, documenting the contemporary design scene both in Italy and abroad.

A new edition of the acclaimed monograph on the legendary designer, published to coincide with the centenary of his birth. The life and work of Ettore Sottsass is more relevant than ever, with exhibitions around the world and renewed collector interest in the Memphis movement. Now available in a new format, this book, packed with beautiful images taken from the extensive Sottsass archives and including drawings and sketches from the designer's countless sketchbooks, explores his entire career from the 1940s to the 2000s, covering everything from his architectural projects and product design to his jewellery, sculpture, and graphics.

Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass is celebrated internationally for his contribution to architecture, industrial and furniture design, ceramics, jewelry, crafts, graphic design, and photography. He founded the Memphis group, and through its startling, eclectic and irreverent aesthetic he dominated furniture and interior style for over a decade. Almost every area of modern design displays his influence. Featuring over 100 full-page illustrations - photographs, architectural drawings, sketches, collages - this monograph explores Sottsass's work in all his many fields of activity, including his world-famous office products for Olivetti, and his colorful Memphis furniture. Barbara Radice, a long-time companion of Sottsass, gives a sensitive account of his life and work, drawing on her keen understanding of his talents, personality, preoccupations, likes and dislikes. She outlines his working methods, describes the inspiration he draws from popular culture, follows him on his constant travels, and explains the interactions necessary for his long-term responsibilities at Olivetti's design division. This is a splendidly complete summary of the career and achievement of Ettore Sottsass, one of the most stimulating, innovative, inspired and entertaining in modern times. Barbara Radice is the editor of Terrazzo and regular contributor to several Italian art and design magazines. She was co-author of Sottsass Associates (1989).

Exhibitions have long played a crucial role in defining disciplinary histories. This fascinating volume examines the impact of eleven groundbreaking architecture and design exhibitions held between 1956 and 2006, revealing how they have shaped contemporary understanding and practice of these fields. Featuring written and photographic descriptions of the shows and illuminating essays from noted curators, scholars, critics, designers, and theorists, As Seen: Exhibitions that Made Architecture and Design History explores the multifaceted ways in which exhibitions have reflected on contemporary dilemmas and opened up new processes and ways of working. Providing a fresh perspective on some of the most important exhibitions of the 20th century from America, Europe, and Japan, including This Is Tomorrow, Expo '70, and Massive Change, this book offers a new framework for thinking about how exhibitions can function as a transformative force in the field of architecture and design.

This book is not a dictionary, though it tells you all you need know about everything from Authenticity to Zips. It's not an autobiography, though it does offer a revealing and highly personal inside view of contemporary culture. It's an essential tool kit for understanding the modern world. It's about what makes a Warhol a genuine fake; the creation of national identities; the mania to collect. It's also about the world seen from the rear view mirror of Grand Theft Auto V; digital ornament and why we value imperfection. It's about drinking a bruisingly dry martini in Adolf Loo's American bar in Vienna, and about Hitchcock's film sets. It's about fashion and technology, about politics and art.

This collection by the acclaimed photographer reveals the shadowy side of the City by the Bay. Following in the footsteps of classic films like The Maltese Falcon and The Lady from Shanghai, veteran photographer Fred Lyon creates images of San Francisco in high contrast with a sense of mystery. In this latest offering from the photographer of San Francisco: Portrait of a City 1940–1960, Lyon presents a darker tone, exploring the hidden corners of his native city. Images taken in the foggy night are illuminated only by streetlights, neon signs, apartment windows, and the headlights of classic cars. Sharply dressed couples stroll out for evening shows, drivers travel down steep hills, and sailors work through the night at the old Fisherman’s Wharf. In many of the photographs, the noir tone is enhanced by double exposures, elements of collage, and blurred motion. These strikingly evocative duotone images expose a view of San Francisco as only Fred Lyon could capture.

If Paul Rand was the most influential American graphic designer of the twentieth century, then Paul Rand: A Designer's Art is the most important on his work. A comprehensive collection of his most important and best-known designs, A Designer's Art gives unique insight into Rand's design process and theory. This new edition of Rand's classic monograph, long unavailable, meticulously re-creates the graphic quality of the original. It includes more than two hundred illustrations and twenty-seven essays, and a new afterword by Steven Heller. This book is required reading for anybody interested in modern design.

Nathalie Du Pasquier started drawing as soon as she met her husband George Sowden in 1979 in Milan. She was introduced to the world of design and shortly after, in 1981, became a founding member of the iconic postmodern design movement Memphis. From 1981 to 1987 she didn't stop drawing. Every day she would draw a whole new modern world, from very small items like jewelry to entire cities. This world only existed in her head but would eventually be developed into real pieces for the Memphis exhibitions. This unique book is the first and definitive compilation of all the unpublished drawings from those years, which had been sitting in the drawers of Nathalie's studio for over 30 years. Organized by the smallest objects to the biggest and divided into chapters, each with a text by Nathalie, it has been carefully edited and designed by Apartamento magazine's co-founder Omar Sosa together with Nathalie Du Pasquier. Don't Take These Drawings Seriously is an excellent reference for future generations and a welcome document of an important period in modern design.

A report on the interaction between creativity and commerce explores humanity's susceptibility to the latest, hottest, and most expensive gadgets on sale, revealing how designer products are made to evince luxury and discussing the gray area between design and art.