Skip to main content

Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Italian, 1939-2024

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.

3
2
1
to
3
3
6
6
6
3
2
4
2
2
Height
to
Width
to
2
2
2
2
1
4
4
2
2
499
295
230
222
189
Creator: Gaetano Pesce
Gaetano Pesce Pair of Resin Invitations Shaped like Fish
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
A very rare pair of Gaetano Pesce resin invitations each of which is shaped like a fish. Wildly divergent in their shapes and demeanor, they complement each other well as Pesce celeb...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Sculpture by Gaetano for Cassina 1963
By Gaetano Pesce, Cassina
Located in Rivoli, IT
Original art sculpture designed by Gaetano Pesce; signed and dated 1963, Per Cassina 1968-1963. Red frame with lamented wood on metal feet.
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Original Sculpture/ Seat Designed by Gaetano Pesce, B&B Italia
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Seat UP7 designed by Gaetano Pesce. Italy, B&B Italia, 2000 series. Large sculpture/ seat made of cold-shaped polyurethane foam painted black. Produced as part of the UP series, P...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Polystyrene

Recent Gorgeous Gaetano Pesce Resin Invitation, Exhibition in Australia!
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
We've shown you the oldest of the Pesce resin invitations and now here's one of the newest: Fish In Australia. Created in the shape of that faraway continent, this largely red and ye...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Original Sculpture / Seat Mod Up7 Designed by Gaetano Pesce, B&B Italia
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Ibiza, Spain
Large seat / sculpture mod. Up7 designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969 and edited by B&B Italia, 2000 series. Made of polyurethane foam painted in color black. Produced as part of the UP series...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Plastic

Gaetano Pesce Sculpture for Cassina, 1963
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hudson, NY
Original art sculpture designed by Gaetano Pesce; signed and dated 1963, Per Cassina 1968-1963. Red frame with lamented wood on metal feet.
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Related Items
Vase Mod. Indian Summer Designed By Gaetano Pesce, Italy
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Madrid, ES
Contemporary vase designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 and edited by Fish design. Made in fumé blue and matt turquoise resin. Unique piece. Italy Measurements: Diameter 22cm x H 36cm ...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Nugget Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
By Gaetano Pesce, Corsi Design Factory
Located in Milan, IT
This stunning vase belongs to the Fish Design Collection of iconic, unique pieces designed by Gaetano Pesce. Chalice shape, it is strikingly han...
Category

2010s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Indian Summer Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Milan, IT
A strikingly singular addition to a personal art collection, this gorgeous vase is a veritable work of art of bold visual impact. Entirely crafted of soft resin, it boasts a magnific...
Category

2010s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Contemporary Fish Design Gaetano Pesce Medusa L Vase Soft Resin
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Medusa vase, Clear Dark Ruby And Matt Pastel Blue Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: L Ø 22cm x H 36cm Other sizes availabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Nugget Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Milan, IT
This iconic design by Gaetano Pesce will make a singular, utterly captivating accent in a contemporary interior. A precious work of art, it belongs to the Fish Design Collection of s...
Category

2010s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Gaetano Pesce ''Big Mama'' lounge chair and ottoman, serie UP 5/6, 1970s, B&B
By Gaetano Pesce, B&B Italia
Located in Quarrata, IT
Gaetano Pesce ''Big Mama'' lounge chair and ottoman, serie UP 5/6, 1970s, B&B Italia.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Fabric, Rubber

Spaghetti Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Milan, IT
Delightfully mouthwatering, this vase is a tribute to traditional Italian cuisine. An absolute artwork by Gaetano Pesce for the Fish Design Collection, it features a semi-transparent...
Category

2010s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Spaghetti Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
H 14.18 in W 8.67 in D 0.4 in
Contemporary Fish Design Gaetano Pesce Medusa M Vase Soft Resin Blue
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Medusa vase, clear blue Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: M - ø 16cm x H 26cm Other sizes available Colours: Clea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Contemporary Gaetano Pesce Spaghetti M Vase Soft Resin Red
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Spaghetti vase, red. Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: L ø 16cm x H 26cm Other sizes available. Colours: Red. Va...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

UP2 Chair by Gaetano Pesce, Newly Upholstered
By B&B Italia, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Toronto, CA
The iconic 'UP 2' armchair designed by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia. Newly upholstered in a rich Kvadrat Baru mustard boucle fabric. The lounge chair is light, fun and geometric, com...
Category

1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Bouclé, Foam

Contemporary Fish Design Gaetano Pesce Medusa L Vase Soft Resin Blue
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Medusa vase, clear blue Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: L Ø 22cm x H 36cm Other sizes available Colours: Clear ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Contemporary Fish Design Gaetano Pesce Medusa M Vase Soft Resin Green
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Medusa vase, Matt green Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: M ø 16cm x H 26cm Other sizes available Colours: Matt g...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Previously Available Items
"UP 7" Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italian Sculptural Foot
By B&B Italia, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Part of the smooth, somewhat futuristic collection of sculptural furniture pieces known as the UP Series by Gaetano Pesce is a giant polyurethane rubber foot dubbed the UP7. Strangel...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Rubber

Rare Gaetano Pesce Prototype, "XXXL" Tabletop Serving Platter
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
One of only three examples - each in a different size - made for XXXL, a 2005 Gaetano Pesce exhibition at Moss Gallery in New York. The other two examples of this sculptural, lava-li...
Category

Early 2000s American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Gaetano Pesce Resin Invitations, Set of 2 with Dramatic Cityscapes
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
Here's a pair of very recent Gaetano Pesce resin invitations that have a highly stylized cityscape as their primary or shared feature. Each of thes...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Gaetano Pesce Set of 8 Resin Invitations, A School of Fish
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
This set of 8 resin invitations each hand-crafted by Gaetano Pesce, each different, ?for a 2000 MOSS exhibition, Some Of Us. Assembled together they do remind one of a school of colo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Gaetano Pesce Set of 4 Resin Invitations, Four Great Faces
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
A discerning selection of rare Pesce invitations from exhibitions at galleries in Milan and New York City, from 2001, 2003, 2008, and 2015. Much of Pesce's most important work focuses on the human face and these invitations are vivid examples of that focus. We have led with the largest, which celebrates a show called Modern Art at a gallery in Milan in 2001. The yellow face...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Italian Modern Black UP7 Foot Sculpture by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia, 2000s
By B&B Italia, Gaetano Pesce
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian moder polyurethane with black coating UP7 foot sculpture by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia and reissued around 2000. UP7 model foot sculpture, in injection polyurethane with b...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Plastic

Set of 2 Gaetano Pesce Profile Resin Invitations to Iconic Works 1969-2015
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
"Art was always a product" - Gaetano Pesce This pair of resin Invitations for the Allouche Gallery exhibition of Gaetano Pesce One of a Kind Iconic Works 1969 - 2015 may be from the ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Extraordinary Gaetano Pesce "Age of Contaminations" Resin Exhibition Invitation
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Hamden, CT
This Age of Contaminations invitation to his 2019 exhibition at the Friedman Benda Gallery is arguably the most complex of Pesce's many extraordinary resin invitations. It is a unique piece because of that complexity but also because each invitation is made by Pesce himself. It's rare to find one available and rarer still to find one in such absolutely perfect condition. Pesce is himself a rarity among designer/artists in that in his 80s, he has never been busier, with simultaneous exhibitions in China and Europe and the US, as well as entering the fashion world with his scenic designs...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Resin Vase Mod. Indian Summer, Designed by Gaetano Pesce, Italy, 2022
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Madrid, ES
Contemporary vase designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 and edited by Fish design. Made in Clear Blue, Dark Ruby, Blue Klein resin. Unique piece. Italy Measurements: Diameter 22cm x H...
Category

2010s Italian Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin, Epoxy Resin

Contemporary Resin Vase MOD. AMAZONIA , Designed by Gaetano Pesce, Italy, 1995.
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Madrid, ES
Contemporary vase designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 and edited by Fish design. Made in matte red, blue and yellow soft resin. Unique piece. Italy Measurements: Diameter 22cm x H 36cm
Category

1990s Italian Post-Modern Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Resin, Epoxy Resin

Original Sculpture / Seat Mod Up7 Designed by Gaetano Pesce, B&B Italia
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Madrid, ES
Large seat / sculpture mod. Up7 designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969 and edited by B&B Italia, 2000 series. Made of polyurethane foam painted in color black. Produced as part of the ...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Plastic

Original Sculpture / Seat Mod Up7 Designed by Gaetano Pesce, B&B Italia
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Ibiza, Spain
Large seat / sculpture mod. Up7 designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969 and edited by B&B Italia, 2000 series. Made of polyurethane foam painted in color black. Produced as part of the ...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Gaetano Pesce Sculptures

Materials

Plastic

Gaetano Pesce sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Gaetano Pesce sculptures are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of resin and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gaetano Pesce sculptures, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 3 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original sculptures by Gaetano Pesce were created in the modern style in united states during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider sculptures by Superego, Enzo Mari, and Luciano Gaspari. Prices for Gaetano Pesce sculptures can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $200 and can go as high as $10,430, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,550.

Recently Viewed

View All