"Monument of Shit to the Fatherland" Totem
Designer
Ettore Sottsass (Italian, born Austria, 1917–2007)Italian, born Austria, 1917–2007
MakerMade by
Bitossi(Italian, established 1921)Italian, established 1921
CultureItalian
Titles
- "Monument of Shit to the Fatherland" Totem
Date1966
MediumConcrete and ceramic
DimensionsOverall: 102 1/2 × 19 3/4 in. (260.4 × 50.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment
Object number2010.2166
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 310
On view
Explore Further
Department
Decorative Arts, Craft, and DesignObject Type
Exhibition HistoryEttore Sottsass. Design Museum, Ghent, October 2007 - January 2008.
Ettore Sottsass: Work in Progress. The Design Museum, London, March - June 2007.
Menhir, Ziggurat, Stupas, Hydrants & Gas Pumps. Enzo Sperone, Milan, April, 1967.
Published References Ferrari, Fulvio. Ettore Sottsass: Tutta la Ceramica. Turin, Italy: Societa Editrice Umberto Allemandi & Co., 1996. Illustrated p. 144. Versions of this piece were published in: Bischofberger, Bruno. Ettore Sottsass: Ceramics. Switzerland: Edition Stemmele AG, 1995. Illustrated p. 87. Hoger, Hans. Ettore Sottsass. Designer and Architect. Berlin: Edition Axel Menges, 1993. Illustrated pgs. 166-169. Radice, Barbara. Ettore Sottsass: A Critical Biography. New York: Rizzoli, 1993. Ilustrated p. 51. Labaco, Ronald T. Ettore Sottsass: Architect and Designer. New York: Merrell Publishing in conjunction with Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2006. Illustrated p. 24. "Sottsass: Ceramics 67." Domus, No. 455, October, 1967. Illustrated pgs. 360-363. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
.A: No visible inscriptions
.B: No visible inscriptions
.C: Inscribed upside-down in the clay on the upper interior rim: "U.19"
.D: Inscribed in the clay in the interior near the small opening: "4"
.E: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.F: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.G: No visible inscriptions
.H: (obscured by remnants of label)
.I: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.J: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.K: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.B: No visible inscriptions
.C: Inscribed upside-down in the clay on the upper interior rim: "U.19"
.D: Inscribed in the clay in the interior near the small opening: "4"
.E: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.F: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.G: No visible inscriptions
.H: (obscured by remnants of label)
.I: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.J: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
.K: Inscribed in the clay in the interior: "U.19"
No visible signature.
.A: No visible markings
.B: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 2 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.C: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 3 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.D: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 4 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.E: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 7 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.F: None
.G: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 / 5 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.H: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / / 6 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.I: None
.J: None
.K: None
.B: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 2 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.C: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 3 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.D: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 4 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.E: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 (in purple marker) / 7 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.F: None
.G: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / 8 / 5 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.H: Printed on a white label in black in the interior, with the numerals handwritten in purple marker: "CERAMIC / / 6 (in purple marker) PIECE / to mount from / below starting / with piece n [wavy equals sign with a dot above it] 1 / ettore sottsass 1966"
.I: None
.J: None
.K: None
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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