Gaetano Pesce Up 5 and Up 6 2000 Series Lounge Chair and Ottoman 'La Mamma'
View Similar Items
Gaetano Pesce Up 5 and Up 6 2000 Series Lounge Chair and Ottoman 'La Mamma'
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 40.16 in (102 cm)Width: 46.86 in (119 cm)Depth: 47.25 in (120 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2000s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Zagreb, HR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5333228006942
Gaetano Pesce
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.
B&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
- Hestra Postmodern Folding Lounge Chair by Tord Björklund for IKEA, Sweden 1990sBy IKEA, Tord BjorklundLocated in Zagreb, HRVintage Hestra folding chair designed by Tord Bjorklund for Ikea and produced in the late 1980s, early 1990s. The chair has an adjustable back (2 positions) and a removable headres...Category
Late 20th Century Swedish Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Postmodern 'Peter Pan' Lounge Chair, Michele De Lucchi for Thalia&Co, Italy 1982By Michele de LucchiLocated in Zagreb, HRThe very rare lounge chair 'Peter Pan' was designed by the influential Italian architect and designer Michele de Lucchi in 1982 for Thalia & Co. The chair is a nice example of radical postmodern Italian design by Michele de Lucchi who was a member of the Memphis Group. The supporting frame is in painted tubular steel, and the springing of the back, with lateral leaf springs...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Postmodern 'Peter Pan' Lounge Chair, Michele De Lucchi for Thalia&Co, Italy 1982By Michele de LucchiLocated in Zagreb, HRThe very rare lounge chair 'Peter Pan' was designed by the influential Italian architect and designer Michele de Lucchi in 1982 for Thalia & Co. The chair is a nice example of radical postmodern Italian design by Michele de Lucchi who was a member of the Memphis Group. The supporting frame is in painted tubular steel, and the springing of the back, with lateral leaf springs...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 2 'Peter Pan' Lounge Chairs, Michele De Lucchi for Thalia&Co, Italy, 1982By Michele de LucchiLocated in Zagreb, HRA set of 2 very rare lounge chairs 'Peter Pan' designed by the influential Italian architect and designer Michele de Lucchi in 1982 for Thalia & Co. The chairs are a nice example of radical postmodern Italian design by Michele de Lucchi who was a prominent member of the Memphis Group. The supporting frame is in painted tubular steel, and the springing of the back, with lateral leaf springs...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Wooden Armchair, Faux Leather Seating, Stol Kamnik 1970sBy Stol KamnikLocated in Zagreb, HRMid-Century Modern armchair designed by Branko Ursic and manufactured by Stol Kamnik, Slovenia 1970s The chair features a modernist wooden frame and a ...Category
Mid-20th Century Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
$1,056 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century Modern Wooden Armchair, Faux Leather Seating, Stol Kamnik 1970sBy Stol KamnikLocated in Zagreb, HRMid-Century Modern armchair designed by Branko Ursic and manufactured by Stol Kamnik, Slovenia 1970s The chair features a modernist wooden frame and a ...Category
Mid-20th Century Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
$1,056 Sale Price20% Off
- B&B Italia 'La Mamma' Up 5/6 Lounge Chair&Ottoman, Green Stripe by Gaetano PesceBy B&B Italia, Gaetano PesceLocated in Toronto, CASince its first appearance, the Up Series, designed in 1969 by Gaetano Pesce, has been one of the most talked about examples of modern furniture design. The exceptional visual impact...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Foam
- B&B Italia 'La Mamma' Up 5/6 Lounge Chair & Ottoman, Red Stripe by Gaetano PesceBy Gaetano Pesce, B&B ItaliaLocated in Toronto, CASince its first appearance, the Up Series, designed in 1969 by Gaetano Pesce, has been one of the most talked about examples of modern furniture design. The exceptional visual impact...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFoam, Fabric
- Gaetano Pesce Up Armchair + Ottoman, “La Mamma” B&B ItaliaBy Gaetano PesceLocated in PEGO, ESOne of a kind lounge chair by Gaetano Pesce, the Up armchair and ottoman or “La Mamma” chair for B&B Italia 1969. Completely and uniquely restored an...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- La Mamma set, armchair and ottoman UP5 and 6 by Gaetano Pesce for B&B ItaliaBy Gaetano Pesce, B&B ItaliaLocated in Lyon, FRStunning La Mamma set, 2000 series, made of the UP5 lounge chair and its UP6 ottoman. An iconic design created by Gaetano Pesce in 1969, controversial because of the light it spotte...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Foam
- "Big Mama" Up Chair by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia, Italy, c.2000By B&B Italia, Gaetano PesceLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentIt was 1968 when Gaetano Pesce began experimenting at his Paris atelier with vacuum-packing the hippest Material of the moment: polyurethane. Soon he’d developed a gravity-defying mo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- UP1 Lounge Chairs by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia, 2000sBy Gaetano Pesce, B&B ItaliaLocated in Renens, CHUP1 Lounge Chairs, designed in 1969 by Gaetano Pesce for C&B Italia (now B&B Italia): These lounge chairs are known for their distinctive, sculptural round form, and due to their structure being completely built up from polyurethane foam, they are incredibly comfortable. Like the Big Mama Chair...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Foam
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Ruth Lande Shuman’s Manhattan Apartment Is a Happy Rainbow — Thanks to Gaetano Pesce
Over the years, Shuman has filled her Park Avenue penthouse with the Italian designer's radically colorful creations. Here's how it all came to together.
With Their Rambunctious Faux Naïf Aesthetic, Young Makers Are Changing the Way We Think about Design
Following in the footsteps of Italian master Gaetano Pesce, these mostly millennial talents are embracing an intentionally imperfect style with wildly creative results.