Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) is one of the initiators of the revolution in design which led away from the rigid functionalism of the years prior to, and following, WWII. A great Maestro of Italian design, the energy of his language and the vitality of his color and lines contrast sharply with intellectualism and rigidity. In 1959 he designed the first Italian computer, and later several peripheral units and computer systems as well as typewriters (featured in the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York). From the end of 60s to the mid-70s, Sottsass was a central figure in Avant-garde culture. In 1970 he was awarded an honorary degree from the Royal College of Art in London.