Ettore Sottsass (Italian, 1917–2007) was an architect and designer often described as the godfather of Italian design. Born in Austria and raised in Milan, he studied architecture at the Politecnico di Torino. After spending much of World War II in a concentration camp in Yugoslavia, he returned to Milan and founded his own architecture and industrial design studio. In 1958, he became a design consultant for Olivetti, a role he held for more than twenty years, designing influential objects such as the Elea 9003 computer and the iconic red Valentine portable typewriter. Moving away from strict functionalism, Sottsass sought to create objects with emotional, social, and historical meaning, helping shape the foundations of postmodern design. In 1981 he founded the Memphis Group, whose bold colors, unconventional materials, and playful forms challenged modernist conventions. Even after Memphis declined, Sottsass continued producing experimental work and later established Sottsass Associati to develop architectural projects. His work has been widely exhibited internationally, and he died in Milan in 2007 at the age of 90.