Take inspiration from the iconic singer’s impressive interiors collection, with one of these postmodernist pieces designed by the Memphis Group.

The late, great Mr David Bowie was a man with distinct and brilliant personal taste. If this weren’t already obvious from his extravagant stage personae, iconic album artwork and trendsetting personal style, it’s abundantly clear in the incredible assortment of objects from his personal collection that are being sold, in three instalments, at London auction house Sotheby’s this week. Titled Bowie/Collector, the sale showcases Mr Bowie’s deep appreciation of art, including lots from artists as diverse as Messrs Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Tintoretto and Pablo Picasso. But, even more intriguingly (and crucially, accessibly – the estimates for many of the artworks are in the $200,000 range) it includes many pieces from the Memphis Group, an Italian-based collective of designers whose colourful, eclectic work defined the postmodernist aesthetic of the 1980s (switch on Netflix and watch Mr Danny DeVito and Ms Bette Midler in the 1986 screwball comedy Ruthless People and you’ll see what we mean). Given that it’s rare to find such a range of exciting pieces with such brilliant provenance, we at MR PORTER thought it only right to highlight a few of our favourite lots from the sale, for anyone considering registering for a paddle number.

Ms Martine Bedin

Lot no. 436

Born in Bordeaux, Ms Martine Bedin came to Florence to study architecture in 1978, and met Memphis founder Mr Ettore Sottsass after contributing work to the Milan Furniture Fair in 1979. She was soon inducted into the group, and was particularly known for her playful lighting designs. Her most famous creation is the “Super” lamp, a wheeled wooden semicircle sprouting colourful lightbulbs. The “Eastern” table lamp, however, is much rarer on eBay and other auction sights and, dare we say it, a little bit more elegant than its famous cousin. In fact, its comparatively subdued colour palette and strong, dynamic lines make it an easy way to add a touch of postmodernist humour to your living room, without going full tilt.

Mr Marco Zanini

Lot no. 463

Mr Marco Zanini was one of the founding members of the Memphis Group in 1981, and contributed work to every one of the collective’s shows. Though a specialist in glass, he also created a range of playful ceramic objects, including the above “Broccoli” fruit bowl, a design which went on to be mass-produced by Bloomingdale’s as part of their 1985 Italian design showcase “Ecco L’Italia”. We like its simple, bold colours and slightly teetering, asymmetric construction. It’s just the thing, in fact, to pep up a poe-faced modernist dinner table.

**Mr George J Sowden **

Lot no. 418

British designer Mr George J Sowden was responsible for a range of blocky, colourful chairs during his time as a member of Memphis. But for a contemporary interior, we particularly like this all-black example from 1986, which is almost arts-and-crafts-like in its pleasing curves and understated geometry.

Messrs Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper

Lot no. 447

Mr Marco Zanuso was not, per se, a member of the Memphis Group, but as a leading designer of the post-war years, his work had a strong influence on the collective, with whom he occasionally collaborated. His 1963 radio with Mr Richard Sapper for Italian electronics company Brionvega is a wonderful example of forward-thinking mid-century design, combining modernism’s obsession with simplicity and reductionism with a toy-like approach to shape and colour that would later be taken to extremes by his Memphis compatriots. It’s also, as it was in the 1960s, a very handy portable radio. And if you don’t win it at auction, there’s a modern, Wi-Fi version now available, too.

Mr Ettore Sottsass

Lot no. 484

This UFO-like table lamp is a neat reminder of all the things that made Memphis co-founder Mr Ettore Sottsass (who died in 2007), one of the most important designers of his era. Though it might look slightly harsh and modern, it actually casts a rather soft, diffused light thanks to its translucent plastic casing and, because of its simple composition of circles, spheres and cones, it has a little bit of art deco about it, too. As far as postmodernism goes, in fact, this is the height of understated taste.

The Bowie/Collector auctions at Sotheby’s will be held on 10 and 11 November