A central figure in radical and postmodern design, Ettore Sottsass was able to bridge architecture and product design while challenging the assumptions of modernist rationalism. Born in Innsbruck in 1917, throughout his career he introduced a symbolic and emotional dimension to his projects, rejecting the notion of object neutrality and opening the language of design to color, narrative, and meaning. With the founding of the Memphis Group in 1981, Sottsass contributed to a profound redefinition of the international design scene, leaving a lasting influence on the evolution of contemporary design.