Jacquard with Self-Figured Ground

Ettore Sottsass

ca. 1984 · Silk · Modern and Contemporary Art

This textile was made for use on men’s ties. It evokes a futuristic interior or cityscape, including what appear to be searchlights, or even flying saucers, projected from patterned boxes and tables. The imagery is cryptic and abstract, and would be even more so in the narrow width of a tie. The bold, acid colors strike the eye to elicit an immediate visceral response. For Sottsass, design is "a way of discussing life, sociality, politics, food, and even design."

Artist

Ettore Sottsass

Date

ca. 1984

Medium

Silk

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Twentieth Century Decorative Arts Gifts, by exchange, 2017