Side Chair "Synthesis 45" Office Furniture System

Designer Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria

Manufacturer Ing. C. Olivetti & C. S.p.A., Ivrea, Italy

1972

Not on view

Sottsass began designing individual office equipment for Olivetti in 1959, though he eventually became interested in creating ideal, holistic work spaces. This pursuit led to the development of Synthesis 45, an integrated office furniture suite with more than one hundred components, including desks, cabinets, chairs, and divider screens. Basic units feature neutral hues with pops of color, like the vibrant yellow frame of this adjustable typist’s chair, red and blue side panels for office cubicles, and brightly colored desk accessories.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Side Chair "Synthesis 45" Office Furniture System
Designer: Ettore Sottsass (Italian (born Austria), Innsbruck 1917–2007 Milan)
Manufacturer: Ing. C. Olivetti & C. S.p.A., Ivrea, Italy
Date: 1972
Medium: Aluminum, steel, plastic, synthetic foam, synthetic fabric
Dimensions: 30 11/16 × 22 1/4 × 23 7/16 in. (78 × 56.5 × 59.5 cm)
Seat H. adjustable
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, 1987
Object Number: 1987.386
Rights and Reproduction: © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

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From the same time and place

"Carlton" Room Divider, Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria, Wood, plastic laminate — "Carlton" Room Divider
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Manufacturer Memphis Milano
1981

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Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later

"Tube" Chair, Joe Colombo Italian, Synthetic knit upholstery, polyurethane foam (PUR), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), natural rubber, and tubular steel — "Tube" Chair
Designer Joe Colombo
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Esercizio Formale 1979, Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria, Printed book — Esercizio Formale 1979
Ettore Sottsass
Publisher Alessi S. P. A.
1985

Composed Armor, Julian Arrechia Spanish, Steel, copper alloy (latten), leather, Italian — Composed Armor
Armorer Left tasset made by Julian Arrechia
Armorer Left pauldron made by Raymond Bartel
ca. 1450–60 and later, restored and composed in the 1920s

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