Kachina 6

2007

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Based on drawings made in 2004, these glass pieces were inspired by Native American katsina dolls, examples of which are on view here. Sottsass discovered katsina dolls at the home of industrial designer George Nelson during his stay in New York in 1956. To Sottsass, they symbolize "the unknown in our existence in the universe," as they are "the souls of the unknown, of everything that is unknown." In this series, Sottsass expands his efforts to imbue ordinary objects with spiritual or historical meaning. The anthropomorphic glass sculptures were made possible by technical innovations that were first used for his glass vases in the 1980s, including the use of glue and wires.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Kachina 6
Artist: Ettore Sottsass (Italian (born Austria), Innsbruck 1917–2007 Milan)
Date: 2007
Medium: Glass; plastic
Dimensions: 18 7/8 × 12 13/16 × 9 7/16 in. (48 × 32.5 × 24 cm)
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Private Collection
Rights and Reproduction: Studio Ettore Sottsass Srl
Photography by Erik & Petra Hesmerg for the Mourmans Gallery
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art