Tokyo'da İtalyan Tasarımcı Ettore Sottsass'ın İlk Kapsamlı Retrospektifi Sanatseverlerle Buluştu

In Tokyo, the first retrospective in Japan dedicated to Ettore Sottsass

(ANSA) - TOKYO, 23 GIU - The exhibition “Ettore Sottsass: Design begins where magic begins” has opened at the Artizon Museum in Tokyo. It is the first major retrospective ever held in Japan dedicated to the Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007), one of the most influential figures in 20th-century international design. The exhibition, open to the public from June 23 through October 4, is presented under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Japan and also marks the first thematic section entirely dedicated to design in the history of the Ishibashi Foundation’s museum. The exhibition brings together over one hundred works from the foundation’s permanent collection—including furniture, ceramics, art glass, photographs, and drawings—tracing Sottsass’s entire creative journey: from his collaborations with companies such as Olivetti and Poltronova to the revolutionary Memphis movement—the collective founded in 1981 that helped redefine the language of contemporary design and profoundly influenced the Japanese creative scene as well. “This important retrospective celebrates Sottsass’s brilliant creativity on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of his passing, highlighting the ongoing aesthetic dialogue between Italian sensibility and Japanese visual culture,” stated Mario Vattani, Italy’s ambassador to Japan. “The collaboration between the Ishibashi Foundation and our diplomatic mission attests to the continuity and strength of bilateral cultural synergies,” he added, referring to the celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. Among the key figures of the Memphis era, Aldo Cibic—who was present at the exhibition, collaborated with Sottsass, and was one of the movement’s founders—emphasizes the innovative nature of that experience. “Memphis was a bit of a break from functionalism and the Bauhaus,” he told ANSA. “There was a narrative that applied to all of them—from both an iconographic perspective, that is, in terms of form, and in terms of materials—a sort of recombination of codes, rather than following what were supposed to be fixed rules of color and rigorous organization. It was about breaking free from all those long-established patterns.” According to Cibic, the movement represented, in every sense, “turning the page,” opening up new creative possibilities and leaving a legacy that continues to influence various fields, from fashion to design. Read article...