Ashoka Table lamp - / By Ettore Sottsass / 1981 - L 74 x H 85 cm by Memphis Milano Multicoloured

The "Memphis Milano" catalogue includes icons designed by the famous Memphis collective between 1981 and 1988. True works of art, these collector's items revolutionised the creative and commercial logic of design in the 80s. Founded in Milan in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis group brought together international architects and designers such as Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun, Martine Bedin, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Shiro Kuramata, George J. Sowden. A true cultural phenomenon, Memphis really shook up the design codes by voluntarily stepping outside of the lines of "good taste" of the time. It was out with the pure, hard functionalism and austerity Bauhaus-style, and in came fantasy with colourful and eccentric creations. The first Memphis collection landed in the design world like a bombshell: a proliferation of exuberant patterns, explosive colours, intrepid asymmetries, geometric shapes stacked up like totems, new use of plastic laminate considered "cheap" until then. Soon, Memphis became THE subversive label of Italian design with its wacky, colourful world inspired by comics, Pop Art, cinema, Kitsch and Art Deco. It was a revolution: design, until then confined to the showrooms, invaded the media and inflamed passion. Considered symbols of Anti-design and New Design, the Memphis creations are above all the manifestation of an unlimited creativity which breaks free of the constraints dictated by industry and the law of the market. Within the confines of design, architecture, art and post-modernism, these exceptional pieces are now sought after by collectors around the world and exhibited in the most prestigious museums. More than 20 years after the end of the movement, the "Memphis Milano" company continues to produce around fifty hand-crafted historical pieces designed by Memphis between 1981 and 1988. These original models are collector's items all bearing the "Memphis" seal, a guarantee of authenticity. In addition, each piece has its own paper certificate of authenticity, itself bearing the "Memphis" seal. Some models bear the designer's signature. The Ashoka lamp was designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass. This colourful totem with imposing dimensions is a great representative for the work of the Italian design master: stacking playful, geometric forms, vibrant colours, and an anti-conformist attitude. The metal structure boasts a daring combination of bright colours: green, yellow, blue, pink, white and chrome. This motley assembly is studded with 5 light bulbs (E14 40 W). The exposed light bulbs play a role in the lamp's aesthetic. Despite its de-structured appearance, this lamp is well-balanced and boasts a perfectly symmetrical assembly. The entire assembly stands on a thick, rectangular grey base.