Ettore Sottsass (Italian, 1917-2007), The Iconic Carlton Bookshelf, Signed

1981, multi-color laminate over MDF, four part bolted form with two drawers, flush base, finished to all sides, underside of bottom drawer signed in gold sharpie "Sottsass 'Carlton 81'" as well as labeled; accompanied with two sets of designer trading cards (one set featuring the "Carlton" to the lid).

76.5 x 74.75 x 12 5/8 in.

From an Important Memphis Collector, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Acquired from the preeminent Memphis dealer Keith Johnson of Urban Architecture Inc.

Among the first authorized distributors of Memphis Milano and Studio Alchimia in the United States, Director Keith Johnson’s discerning eye and esoteric expertise have positioned Urban Architecture as a trusted voice within the contemporary art and design world.

Now based in Tinton Falls, NJ, the gallery operates as both a private showroom and an intimate art consultancy—a sanctuary where the works of seminal designers and visionary artists are presented for study, dialogue, and acquisition.

Sottsass revolutionized 20th-century design as a radical innovator, best known for founding the postmodern Memphis Group with its vibrant, playful furniture, and for iconic industrial designs like the red Valentine typewriter for Olivetti, bridging modernism and radical postmodernism with bold colors, geometric forms, and a focus on emotional impact over pure function in everything from buildings to ceramics, glass, and jewelry.

The Carlton bookshelf is iconic because it embodies the Memphis Group's Postmodernist rebellion against functionalism, using bold colors, low cost laminates, and playful shapes to challenge traditional good design, serving as a "totemic," anthropomorphic piece that prioritizes visual excitement and cultural commentary over pure utility, making it a symbol of 1980's design revolution.


Overall good vintage condition; some sun fading most notably to the green laminate.