Gaetano Pesce Italian Sofa Cannaregio in Grey Fabric Original Condition
View Similar Items
Gaetano Pesce Italian Sofa Cannaregio in Grey Fabric Original Condition
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer),Cassina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 77.56 in (197 cm)Depth: 33.47 in (85 cm)Seat Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1987
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. IN ORIGINAL CONDITION, IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. Slight wear due to its age and use.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4911226031282
Gaetano Pesce
Gaetano Pesce is 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, he 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 its 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 has gone on to live a life that defies expectation and convention and along the way has become one of the most seminal figures in art and design.
Find vintage Gaetano Pesce chairs, sofas, vases and more on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- Italian Damask Fabric Capitonnè SofaBy Italian school XX ct.Located in Milano, ITGorgeous Italian made sofa from the 1950's. The Italian sofa has been upholstered in a fine capitonné damask fabric in shades of ivory. The soft an...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsBrass
- Vittorio Introini Italian Sofa in Brown Velvet and SteelBy Vittorio IntroiniLocated in Milano, ITThree seater sofa designed by Vittorio Introini in the 70s. The sofa is made of brown velvet with clean and linear geometric shapes. The sofa has a peculiarity, at the center of the ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- Italian Sofa attributed to Ico Parisi in original fabricBy Ico ParisiLocated in Milano, ITElegant small Italian living room sofa attributed to Ico Parisi from the 1950s. The sofa is in its original condition, we also find its original fabric of the time in grey-brown stri...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Vintage Italian Sofa in Yellow FabricBy Italian school XX ct.Located in Milano, ITA journey back in time, straight to the dawn of innovation and creativity of the 1980s, this Italian vintage sofa is a celebration of the design that revolutionized contemporary furn...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Space Age Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Vico Magistretti for Cassina "Maralunga" Sofa in Blue FabricBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Milano, ITSofa designed by Vico Magistretti for the Cassina factory in the 1970s. The two-seater sofa is entirely upholstered in original fabric of the time in perfect condition, no rips or da...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Cotton, Plastic
- Italian Danube sofa by Ettore Sottsass for CassinaBy Cassina, Ettore SottsassLocated in Milano, ITImmerse yourself in the captivating world of postmodern design with the legendary "Danube" sofa, a two-seater masterpiece designed by the iconic Ettore Sottsass for Cassina in 1992. ...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsIron
- Large Gaetano Pesce for Cassina 'Cannaregio' Modular SofaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Waalwijk, NLGaetano Pesce for Cassina, sofa, model ‘Cannaregio’, multicolored upholstery, Italy, 1987 Large ‘Cannaregio’ sofa, designed by Gaetano Pesce for Cassi...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Italian modern modular Cannaregio sofa by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, 1987By Gaetano Pesce, CassinaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern modular Cannaregio sofa by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, 1987 Cannaregio model sofa composed of three modules that can be positioned as desired, united or distant. The su...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Cannaregio Sofa, Gaetano Pesce for Cassina with Original TagsBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Las Vegas, NVCannaregio sofa in stunning color way by Italian artist and architect Gaetano Pesce. Named for the Venice neighborhood where the artist studied. In excellent condition with original ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFoam
- Cannaregio Modular Sofa with Footrest by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, Italy 1986By Gaetano Pesce, CassinaLocated in Halle, DERare modular Cannaregio sofa by Gaetano Pesce. Postmodern / Memphis Design from 1986, manufactured by Cassina, Italy. Comes with original footrest in b...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Cannaregio Sofa Attributed to Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, Italy 1990sBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Chicago, ILA Cannaregio sofa designed by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina in 1987. The Cannaregio sofa is composed of ten modular sections, which can be placed together ...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsTextile, Upholstery
- Cannaregio Modular Seat by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, 1987By Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Untersiggenthal, AGWonderfull modular sofa by geatano pesce in marvoulous condition and special edition fabric (pattern).Category
Vintage 1980s Sofas
MaterialsCotton
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.