Gaetano Pesce was of a generation of Italian architects who in the early 1960s rebelled against the industrial perfection of modernism by conceiving new furniture and objects that were at once expressive and eccentric in form; or you might say they were more like art than functionalist design.
Born in the picturesque coastal Italian city of La Spezia in 1939, Pesce was a precocious talent who could have forged a career as an artist but opted instead to go to Venice to study architecture because, as he has said, it was “the most complex of all the arts.” Rather than having new worlds opened to him at design school, however, Pesce found the rationalist curriculum oppressive in its insistence on standardization and prescribed materials and technologies.
Pesce wanted to explore the latest of both materials and technologies to create objects and buildings never before imagined, with what he called “personalities” that spoke to the issues of the day. He was keen to examine ways to diversify mass production so that each manufactured work could be distinct.
In 1964, Pesce met Cesare Cassina, of the forward-looking furniture company C&B Italia in Milan (now known as B&B Italia), for whom he would create many important designs, beginning with a collection of what he called “transformational furniture” — two chairs and a loveseat — made entirely out of high-density polyurethane foam. To make the pieces easy to ship and cost-efficient, he proposed that after being covered in a stretch jersey, they be put in a vacuum, then heat-sealed flat between vinyl sheets. Once the foam was removed from its packaging, the piece returned to its original shape — hence, the name Up for the series, which debuted in 1969.
In addition to these pieces, Pesce proposed for the collection something he referred to as an “anti-armchair,” which took the shape of a reclining fertility goddess, the iconic Donna.
Producing the piece's complex form turned out to be a technical challenge. Bayer, the foam’s manufacturer, deemed it impossible to accomplish. Pesce persisted and came up with a new procedure, demonstrating not only the designer’s key role in researching the nature and potential of new materials but also his vital importance in “doubting rules.” The Up chair and accompanying ottoman were born, and they were revolutionary in more ways than one.
In the early 1970s, Pesce began exploring one of his key concepts, the idea of the industrial originals. Employing a mold without air holes, and adding a blood-red dye to the polyurethane, he cast a bookcase that resembled a demolished wall, the rough edges of the shelves and posts resulting from fissures in the material made by trapped air.
Through his research into polyurethane, Pesce figured out a way to make a loveseat and armchair using only a simple wood frame and strong canvas covering as a mold. Since the fabric developed random folds during the injection process, the pieces were similar but not identical. Cassina named the suite of furnishings Sit Down and introduced it in 1975. By experimenting with felt soaked in polyurethane and resin, Pesce conceived I Feltri, another collection of armchairs introduced by Cassina in 1987.
Pesce went on to live a life that defied expectation and convention and along the way became one of the most seminal figures in art and design.
Find vintage Gaetano Pesce chairs, sofas, vases and more on 1stDibs.
$15,916
H 72.84 in W 23.63 in D 22.05 in
Sculpture Bookcase Nobody's Guard No. 0 by Gaetano Pesce for Zero Disegno
By Gaetano Pesce, Zerodisegno
Located in Ravenna, IT
Bookcase designed in 2003 by Gaetano Pesce for Zero Disegno. The bookcase is wrapped in a polyurethane resin sheet to which a round mirror is attached. On the left side, on the groun...
Resin
Gaetano Pesce Nobody's Guard Red
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Naples, FL
A rare totemic shelf with mirror from Gaetano Pesce's "Nobody's Perfect" series for Zerodisegno in 2003. With impressive scale, this functional work of art...
Resin
$2,589
H 65.75 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Postmodern "The Colonnades" Shelving Unit by Pascal Mourgue for Artelano, 1990s
By Pascal Mourgue
Located in Rouen, FR
Totemic shelving unit designed by Pascal Mourgue for Artelano in the 1990s, part of the iconic Colonnades collection. A sculptural piece that blurs the line between furniture and ar...
Glass, Oak
$5,884
H 70.87 in W 24.02 in D 15.75 in
Gaetano Pesce Luigi (o mi amate voi?) 902 Shelf in Lacquered Wood by Bernini 80s
By Bernini, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Cascina, Pisa
The Luigi 902 (O mi amate voi?) shelf, with a lacquered wood frame and a metal base, was designed by Gaetano Pesce and produced by Bernini in 1981. The Luigi 902 is a free-standing shelf with a double frame in wood and metal and two tilting shelves that can be blocked in a horizontal position through a screws system placed directly on the frame. When the shelves are down the bookcase functions like a screen or a divider The base of the wooden structure has a metal reinforcement to ensure balance and stability. Gaetano Pesce is a prominent contemporary Italian designer and architect known for his bold experimentation with materials and color. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with some of Italy's leading design companies, including Artemide, Vitra, Cassina, and B&B Italia. Born in 1939 in La Spezia, near Genoa, Pesce enrolled at the University of Venice in 1959 to study architecture and graduated in 1965. During the final years of his studies, he also participated in courses at the Venice College of Industrial Design, where he was influenced by distinguished faculty members like Ernesto Nathan Rogers and Mario Bellini. Encouraged by their teachings to embrace innovation in modern design, Pesce became involved with an avant-garde architectural collective called “Gruppo N,” which drew inspiration from the streamlined aesthetics of the Bauhaus. These diverse inspirations equipped Pesce to embrace contemporary materials and explore the forms they enabled. His designs range from small decorative objects to large architectural spaces and reflect deep contemplation of the modern era. Notable works include his iconic La Mamma chair...
Metal
Modular plastic and glass bookcase/bar, Italy, 1970s
Located in Parma, IT
Modular plastic and glass bookcase/bar, made in Italy in the 1970s. The bookcase is composed of semicircular plastic modules that can be combined with glass holders. The bar is compo...
Glass, Plastic
"Italia" stackable tables, Nobody's perfect, Gaetano Pesce Zerodisegno, 2003
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in PARIS, FR
3 stacakable tables, Nobody's perfect Gaetano Pesce Zerodisegno, 2003 The tables can be used individually or stacked to create a modular shelving unit / When stacked all column is ...
Resin
$18,541 / item
H 78.75 in W 80.32 in D 13.78 in
Suvretta Plastic Bookcase, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano Collection
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano, Memphis Group
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The Suvretta bookcase in plastic laminate was originally designed in 1981, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. In 1939 he graduated...
Plastic
$1,529
H 82.68 in W 31.11 in D 11.82 in
Italian Space Age plastic bookcase Dodona 300 by Ernesto Gismondi Artemide, 1970
By Ernesto Gismondi, Artemide
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Space Age plastic bookcase Dodona 300 by Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide, 1970s Dodona 300 bookcase with rectangular shape, made entirely of plastic. The rectangular shelves ar...
Plastic
Gaetano Pesce Light from the Open Sky Collection, 1999
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Exceptionally rare light by resin maestro Gaetano Pesce from his “Open Sky” collection, 1999. Good overall condition with age-related wear.
Resin
$19,720 / item
H 90.56 in W 63 in D 25.6 in
Miniforms Bonbon Library in Lacquered Wood by Paolo Cappello
By Miniforms, Paolo Cappello
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Copy, paste, transform: Bonbon’s legs become the vertical supports of a bookcase that’s compact and irresistibly soft. Rounded shelves, softened corners, and a seamless color finish ...
Wood
Splendid bookcase, Jacques Adnet, 1955, France
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Paris, FR
Jacques Adnet (1900-1984), wood, lacquered metal, brass, circa 1955 Dimensions : 106.5 x 65 x 17 cm / 41.929 x 25.590 x 6.693 inches. Sublime bookcase crafted by Jacques Adnet. The b...
Metal, Brass
GIO PONTI, Exceptionnal brass and glass shelf, Circa 1939
By Gio Ponti
Located in Paris, FR
Exceptionnal brass and glass shelf, featuring five supported wooden shelves held by two glass blades at the ends, all securely connected and fixed by brass screws. The glass is engr...
Brass
Stilobate Column by Alessandro Mendini 2008 Numbered
By Alessandro Mendini
Located in Paris, FR
Stilobate column from the Column Collection created in 2008 by Alessandro Mendini (born in 1931). Superego Edition limited to 50 numbered copies. The column is surmounted by a box wi...
Porcelain
André GROULT (1884-1966), Art Deco serving table
By Andre Groult
Located in Paris, FR
André Groult (1884-1966) was a prominent French decorator and furniture designer known for infusing his creations with sensuality and whimsy. Coming from a conventional bourgeois fam...
Wood
Modernist Umbrella Stand, circa 1940, Belgium
Located in Paris, FR
This rare umbrella stand was in the entrance hall of a 1940s house, since the building of the house. It is made of chromium-plated metal and black bakelite. Made in Benelux (most pro...
Metal, Chrome
"Blackened wood cabinet", Georges Henri Laurent (1880-1940)
By Georges Laurent
Located in Paris, FR
Georges Henri Laurent (1880–1940) was a French decorative artist and painter, active during the first half of the 20th century. A member of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM) alon...
Wood
