acme bacterio sottsass etched rollerball

ETTORE SOTTSASS , born in Innsbruck , Austria in 1917. He received a degree in architecture from the Turin Politechnico in 1939. In 1947 he set up a firm in Milan where he dealt with architectural and design projects. In 1980, he founded the firm Sottass Associates,he continued his work as architect and designer. The following year he set up with colleagues, friends, and internationally renowned architects, the Memphis group, which soon became the flagship of "new design",and a landmark for the contemporary avant-garde movement. In 1985 his relationship with ACME began with 4 collections of jewelry.

ACME Studios was founded in Los Angeles in 1985 by Adrian Olabuenaga and his wife, Lesley Bailey. ACME made its first appearance with a limited edition collection of jewelry designed for them by Peter Shire, the LA-based member of the world renowned Memphis Group. Soon after the initial debut, ACME released a large collection of over one hundred pieces, MEMPHIS DESIGNERS for ACME, with the help of writer Barbara Radice and designer/architect, Ettore Sottsass. Many pieces from this collection are now in the permanent collections of museums around the world (the Denver Art Museum and Brooklyn Museum of Art in the United States). The entire series is in the permanent collection of the Groninger Museum in Holland.