Chiat Day Desk by Gaetano Pesce, New York, 1994, Rare
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 44.75 in (113.67 cm)Depth: 35 in (88.9 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Resin,Steel
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1994
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Age appropriate signs of use. Good condition and ready to use.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1057024452462
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Kansas City, MO
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Gaetano Pesce, Nobody's Perfect Zerodesegno Dining Table, Multicolor ResinBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Kansas City, MORare and exceptional Gaetano Pesce Nobody's Perfect Zerodesegno dining table. Tubular resin legs support a sturdy resin grid top with a resin "tab...Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsResin
- Gaetano Pesce Chador Table Lamp From The Open Sky SeriesBy Fish Design, Gaetano PesceLocated in Kansas City, MOMulticolored Chador Table Lamp From The Open Sky Series designed by Gaetano Pesce. Made of Resin, very sturdy. The Open Sky series was produced in a very limited edition for Fish De...Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsResin
- Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985By Ettore Sottsass, PoltronovaLocated in Kansas City, MOEttore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The cabinet features three drawers over a drop-front ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Secretaires
MaterialsBrass
- Custom Desk with Credenza by Gordon Bunshaft for General Fireproofing CompanyBy General Fireproofing Company, Gordon BunshaftLocated in Kansas City, MOThis is a one of a kind, custom designed partners desk with credenza by Gordon Bunshaft for the General Fireproofing Company, also know as GF and Go...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Rosewood and Polished Aluminum Desk by Roger Sprunger for Dunbar. Restored.By Dunbar Furniture, Roger SprungerLocated in Kansas City, MOBrazilian rosewood and aluminum floating top desk by Roger Sprunger for Dunbar. Three shallow drawers are carved out of the desk top: two side drawers and one wide center drawer. I...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsAluminum
- Desk by Jens Risom, Blonde Wood, Blue Drawer Fronts, Chrome Pulls, Laminate TopBy Jens RisomLocated in Kansas City, MOJens Risom desk for Risom Designs. Birch wood case, light blue lacquered drawer fronts, chrome pulls, brass feet, and virtually indestructible Laminate top. Condition is good and com...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- Gaetano Pesce Desk for the Chiat\Day Offices, 1994By Gaetano PesceLocated in Las Vegas, NVRare Gaetano Pesce desk from his design of the Manhattan office for the advertising agency Chiat\Day, 1994. Together with Jay Chiat they designed and built t...Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Very Rare Gaetano Pesce Dining Set, Sansone 1 Table & 6x Dalila Chairs CassinaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Aachen, NWVery rare dining room set by Gaetano Pesce featuring 6x chairs model Dalila and a table model Sansone I. Made by Polyurethane and urethane resin, Cass...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Dining Room Sets
MaterialsResin
- Rare Chinese Export Amboyna and Ebony Campaign Kneehole DeskLocated in Benington, HertsRare and outstanding example of an early 19th century Anglo-Chinese export amboyna and ebony campaign kneehole desk retaining the original patina with wonderful colour. China circa 1830 One of the finest examples you will see, constructed using thick hand sawn cuts of amboyna and solid ebony with ivory stringing and countersunk brass pulls to the camphor wood lined drawers, having brass drop carrying handles to each side. The rectangular top with book matched amboyna veneers enclosed by a solid ebony boarder above a frieze drawer fitted with an adjustable inset velvet lined writing slope flanked by multiple sliding lidded compartments and pen rests. Below is an arrangement of nine ivory strung drawers and a kneehole recess with foliate carved and pierced ankle brackets, the whole being raised on eight solid ebony turned feet. This impressive colonial inspired desk is Chinese and would have been intended for the export market. Some years back this desk was often mistaken to have been Anglo-Indian due to the fact it shares many characteristics of Indian furniture...Category
Antique 1830s Chinese Desks
MaterialsEbony, Amboyna
- Set of 3, Size L Triple Play Coffee Table in Black by Gaetano PesceBy Corsi Design Factory, Gaetano PesceLocated in barasso, ITTriple play coffee table - black Table in hard resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Additional Information: Material: Hard resin Color: Black Dimens...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsResin
- "Italia" stackable tables, Nobody's perfect, Gaetano Pesce Zerodisegno, 2003By Gaetano PesceLocated in PARIS, FR3 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 ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Tables
MaterialsResin
- Single Size L Low Triple Play Coffee Table in White by Gaetano PesceBy Gaetano Pesce, Corsi Design FactoryLocated in barasso, ITTriple play coffee table - white Table in hard resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Additional information: Material: Hard resin Color: White Dimens...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsResin
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.