Stedelijk Museum cancels Ettore Sottsass retrospective over heirs' demands

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has canceled a major retrospective of Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007), the Austrian-Italian architect and designer, after heirs and the gallery representing his estate refused to collaborate on the exhibition concept. The show, planned for spring 2018, would have been the first Dutch retrospective dedicated to Sottsass, featuring around eighty projects spanning his career and highlighting his influence on younger generations, including other Memphis Group designers. Despite initial agreements on loans and text publications, the museum stated that the heirs and gallerist imposed unacceptable restrictions on curatorial interpretation. Interim director Jan Willem Sieburgh expressed regret, emphasizing that the museum cannot accept external dictation on exhibition conception. Sottsass, a three-time Compasso d'Oro winner, is known for the Valentine typewriter (1969) and founding the Memphis Group in 1981. The Stedelijk had a long relationship with Sottsass since 1968, acquiring works such as a Superbox cabinet and Vaso no. 10, and in 2010 received a large portion of his Memphis archives. The cancellation follows a series of international Sottsass exhibitions in 2017, including shows at the Vitra Design Museum, MET Breuer, Triennale di Milano, and Fondazione Cini.