The best inspirations come from the simplest designs. This theory is perfectly proved by the ceramic pieces by Ettore Sottsass recently donated to Milan's Triennale by the Design Department of the London-based Phillips auction house.
The ceramics were originally made for the Galleria Il Sestante in Milan between the late 1950s and the '60s. Founded in October 1958 by Marisa Villa Scarzella with her sister Lina Villa Matteucci, the Sestante Gallery, located in Via della Spiga, Milan, was designed by Ettore Sottsass. Between 1958 and 1969, the designer had an exclusive relationship with the gallery that was known for bringing together designers and artisans and commissioning limited editions of objects that investigated the interactions between design, production and the market.
The pieces donated to the Triennale - vases, plates and ashtrays - were originally part of Casa Lana, reconstructed on the first floor of the Triennale and opened to the public in December 2021. The ceramics - in white, black, pink and emerald - are more linear than the playful and colourful pieces that resulted from the collaboration between Sottsass and Alessio Sarri, but they are equally inspiring, reminding us that essential lines can free us from the constrictions of complex designs and can help us creating timeless pieces.
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