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Yantra no. 31

Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria

Not on view

Sottsass designed approximately thirty pieces for the Yantra series, including vases, ashtrays, boxes, and bowls. The Sanskrit term yantra denotes a mystical diagram comprising nine inter­locking triangles, a system that informed the repeating geometric forms of these vases. In addition to Indian cultural and religious objects, Sottsass noted that Aztec sculpture and Jazz Age radio receivers also influenced these designs. And as Art Deco enjoyed a resurgence during this time, it is not surprising that zigzag shapes appear in the series. Sottsass hoped to imbue these works with the same meditational effects of the yantras and mandalas he encountered in India.

Yantra no. 31, Ettore Sottsass (Italian (born Austria), Innsbruck 1917–2007 Milan), Ceramic

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