Memphis was a Milan-based collective of furniture and product designers whose work dominated the design scene of the early 1980’s. The Memphis group was led by Ettore Sottsass.
Its bold designs drew on influences from existing and past design movements and it could be considered a branch of Post Modernism.
The Memphis Group offered bright, colourful, shocking pieces. The word tasteful is not normally associated with products generated by the Memphis Group but they were certainly ground breaking at the time.
Memphis didn't like the clinical lines and lack of decoration typical of the Modernist movement so they chose to use highly decorative laminates and produced products that were considered amusing. |
