Design 
23 October 2014
Design 
454

George Sowden

Metropole clock

Memphis
Italy, 1982
laminate over wood, Plexiglas, acrylic, lacquered wood, enameled aluminum, enameled brass 31½ h × 9½ w × 9½ d in (80 × 24 × 24 cm)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $2,000
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Signed with applied metal manufacturer's label to reverse: [Memphis Milano George James Sowden 1982 Made in Italy].
literature: Memphis Milano, manufacturer's catalog, 1986, pg. 81

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George Sowden b. 1942

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As the only British member of the Memphis group, George Sowden made a name for himself with his structural, colorful and humor-inflected designs and illustrations. Born in Leeds, United Kingdom in 1942, Sowden studied architecture at the Gloucestershire College of Art, graduating in 1968, and moved to Milan in 1970 to work for Sottsass Associati and Olivetti. In Milan, he met his to-be wife, artist and designer Nathalie du Pasquier, who would join Memphis along with Sowden in 1981. That same year, he established his own firm, SowdenDesign, developing products for the likes of Olivetti, Swid Powell, Alessi, Swatch and Pyrex, among others. His diverse designs range from consumer electronics and appliances to wallpaper and textiles. In 1991 he received the Compasso d’Oro Award and established his own name brand, SOWDEN in 2010 to continue designing objects of integrity in his striking and tactile postmodern style.

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George Sowden

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George Sowden

Metropole clock

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $3,750

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