Ettore Sottsass at the Artizon: a must-see — and the exhibition design is half the joy
Of the three summer shows I keep sending design friends to, this is the one I'd put first now. Ettore Sottsass — the Italian who gave postmodern design its colour — gets his first big retrospective in Japan, and the works are a riot: the red Olivetti typewriter, the pattern-clashing Memphis furniture, shelves of impossible glass. But what surprised me is that the exhibition design itself is half the pleasure. It's staged with paper tubes, loose paper and careful light, and it makes Sottsass's free, experimental world feel exactly as playful as it should.
Ettore Sottsass — Design begins where magic begins is at the Artizon Museum (Kyobashi) through October 4, 2026 — Japan's first large retrospective, drawing on 100+ works from the Ishibashi Foundation. The exhibition design is by Igarashi Hisae (paper tubes, light, clever zoning) and worth seeing in its own right. Open 10:00–18:00 (Fri to 20:00), closed Mondays; date-and-time tickets, so book online. Don't skip the café.
Who Sottsass was, in one room after another
If you've never placed the name: Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) is the reason a lot of 1980s design looks the way it does. He shaped the Olivetti office machines — including the cherry-red Valentine typewriter — and then, with the Memphis group, threw out good taste on purpose: laminate patterns that clash, colours that shouldn't work, furniture that behaves like sculpture. The show walks you from the industrial work into the pure joy of the ceramics and glass.
The exhibition design is the surprise
Here's what I didn't expect to love as much as the objects: the space. The show's exhibition design is by interior designer Igarashi Hisae, built around paper tubes and drifts of loose paper, with light used to carve the rooms into zones. It's eco-minded and low-key theatrical at once, and it does the hardest thing an exhibition design can do — it makes the work feel more like itself. For anyone who cares about how shows are staged, that alone is worth the ticket.
Stay for the café
Go downstairs to the museum café before you leave. There wasn't a special collaboration menu when I went, but it didn't matter: the sweets here are delicate and genuinely good, and a few Sottsass pieces are displayed in the café too. Mine was a cream-cheese mousse with rosemary ice cream — light, herbal, refreshing — exactly the kind of quiet, precise dessert that rewards a slow finish to the visit.
Book a weekday date-slot and give yourself time for both the objects and the staging. Finish in the café — and if you're building a design day, this is the longest-running of the summer's three museum shows, so it's the easy one to anchor around.
The practical details
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Show | Ettore Sottsass — Design begins where magic begins |
| Dates | June 23 – October 4, 2026 |
| Hours | 10:00–18:00 · Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 min before) |
| Closed | Mondays (some exceptions) |
| Tickets | Date-and-time tickets — book online before you go |
| Where | Artizon Museum, Kyobashi — a short walk from Tokyo & Kyobashi stations |
| Design | Exhibition space design by Igarashi Hisae (paper tubes & light) |
Common questions
When is the Sottsass exhibition in Tokyo?
June 23 – October 4, 2026, at the Artizon Museum, Kyobashi. It's Japan's first large Sottsass retrospective.
Why is it worth it?
100+ works from the Ishibashi Foundation — the Olivetti Valentine, Memphis furniture, ceramics and glass — plus an exhibition design (by Igarashi Hisae) that's a joy in itself.
What are the hours and tickets?
Usually 10:00–18:00 (Fridays to 20:00), closed Mondays. Date-and-time tickets — book online.
Is there a café?
Yes — delicate seasonal sweets, and Sottsass pieces on display. Worth staying for.