(((He carried Italy's 20th century on his back, but you'd have never guessed it from his sprightly step. A genius.)))
Link: [](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/02/db0203.xml "
Ettore Sottsass - Telegraph
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Ettore Sottsass - Telegraph
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Ettore Sottsass, who died on New Year's Eve aged 90, was the figurehead of 20th-century Italian design and founded the influential avant-garde Memphis Group.
One of the most radical European designers of the 20th century, he became a consultant to the Olivetti company and in 1969 designed its familiar portable red Valentine typewriter.
With its advertisements showing people happily typing away on beaches or in cafés, Sottsass's iconic machine started a trend for portability and eye-catching design that nearly 40 years later helps to promote the Apple company's laptops and ubiquitous iPods.
The world's best-known designers regarded Sottsass as an important figure in pop culture because of his unique take on such humdrum items as office cabinets, bath tubs and cutlery.
Karl Lagerfeld acclaimed him as "one of the design geniuses of the 20th century", while Philippe Starck considered him one of the most important influences on his own work....
"My motto:
"Be patient, calm, compassionate, knowing that existence is fleeting."
