He began his career working with his father, before setting up his own agency in Milan in 1947, where he worked on a number of interior architecture projects. In 1956, he left for the United States and joined George Nelson’s agency in New York, where he discovered the practices linking industrialists and artists, giving him new perspectives on his profession.

Back in Milan, he took up the post of artistic director at Poltronova, a company specializing in the design and production of contemporary furniture, before being chosen by Adriano Olivetti in 1958 to become a consultant designer. From then on, Sottsass worked on a series of projects. His work is essentially based on the interplay of light and color, which he sees as the best definitions of form and space.

He helped design the very first Italian computer in 1959, and went on to design several electric typewriters. His many travels also influenced his artistic vision, including a trip to India, which inspired two series: “Céramiques des ténèbres” and “Céramiques des lumières”.

Advocating a sensory approach to design and architecture to define lines, the artist attaches great importance to color and the materials used. He thus joined the Anti-Design movement of the 1960s, which opposed the functionalism and architectural rationalism then in force. At the same time, the artist founded the creative agency Sottsass Associati, which focused more on industrial design and architecture, and collaborated with a number of companies, including Apple and Fiat.

He died in Milan on December 31, 2007.