Ettore Sottsass: Design begins where magic begins

June 23 [Tue] - October 4 [Sun], 2026

About this exhibition

Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) was a globally acclaimed master of twentieth-century Italian design. Starting in the 1950s, he created masterworks as a designer for Olivetti and Poltronova. In 1981, he organized the Memphis Group, an international design collective. He and other Memphis members created designs that were regarded as Post Modern and that had a great influence on their generation.
Sottsass questioned pursuing excessive rationalism and sought to restore the sensation of people living freely and vibrantly. Through fresh designs filled with humor, he aimed to shine a bright light on the lifestyles, lives, and fates of the people of his time.
This exhibition, the first Sottsass retrospective in Japan, will display 112 of his works, from his early to later periods, that the Ishibashi Foundation has collected and introducing an abundance of designs brimming with creativity.

Exhibition overview

Exhibition title

Ettore Sottsass: Design begins where magic begins

Exhibition period

June 23 [Tue] - October 4 [Sun], 2026

Opening hours

10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays) *Last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Closed

Mondays (except July 20, September 21), July 21, September 24

Organizer

Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

Venue

6F Gallery

Concurrent Exhibitions

Selections from the Ishibashi Foundation Collection
TAKIGUCHI Shuzo: Writing and Drawing

Ticket prices (incl. tax)

On-line ticket In-Person ticket (purchase at museum)
General 1,200 yen 1,500 yen
University
college
high school students
Free entry Advance booking required
Please present their student ID upon entry.
Disabled visitors
(plus one accompanying assistant)
Free entry Advance booking not required
Please present disabled person’s handbook upon entry.
Children
through junior high school
Free entry Advance booking not required
*Online tickets must be purchased up to 10 minutes before the end of each time slot.
*Booking is not accepted when a time slot is full.
*In-Person ticket may be purchased at the museum, if the time slot is not full.
*This admission fee gives the visitor access to the concurrent exhibitions.

Art works

Ettore SOTTSASS, Carlton, 1981 (design) /1981 (produced by Memphis Milano), Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation © Erede Ettore Sottsass

Ettore SOTTSASS, Carlton, 1981 (design) /1981 (produced by Memphis Milano), Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation © Erede Ettore Sottsass

Ettore SOTTSASS, Cabinet No.8, 1994 (design) /1994 (produced by Gallery Mourmans), Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation © Erede Ettore Sottsass

Ettore SOTTSASS, Cabinet No.8, 1994 (design) /1994 (produced by Gallery Mourmans), Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation © Erede Ettore Sottsass

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