Gaetano Pesce Italian Floor Lamp, Table Lamp in Yellow, Red and Blue Resin, 2009
View Similar Items
Gaetano Pesce Italian Floor Lamp, Table Lamp in Yellow, Red and Blue Resin, 2009
About the Item
- Creator:Meritalia (Manufacturer),Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)Diameter: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Other (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 2010
- Production Type:New & Custom(One of a Kind)
- Estimated Production Time:Available Now
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Mornico al Serio ( BG), IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2595114900872
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.
- Gaetano Pesce Moss Lamp 2009By Gaetano PesceLocated in Naples, FLRare Gaetano Pesce "Moss" lamp originally designed as a tribute to Murray Moss. Edizione del Pesce for Meritalia circa 2009. The lamp appears to be a solid structure, but is complete...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsResin
$10,000 - 1980s Gaetano Pesce Style Modern Metal, Resin and Plastic Italian Table LampBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Aci Castello, ITA rare table lamp designed and manufactured in Italy and inspired by works of Gaetano Pesce. It's in very good conditions overall and in working order, this table lamp is a bold and ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Set of two Gaetano Pesce inspired floor lampBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Milano, Lombardiapair of resin floor lamps, probably inspired by Gaetano Pesce's work on resin, these two lamps are really something unique and unobtainable. Coming from a villa in Tuscany, along wit...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
$10,938 / set - Gaetano Pesce Rag Lamp, 1995By Gaetano PesceLocated in Las Vegas, NVGaetano Pesce Rag lamp for Fish Designs, 1995. Excellent example of Pesce’s ability with resin showcasing delicate draping and folds in a gorgeous orange-yellow. Slight wear consiste...Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsResin
- Gaetano Pesce Olo LampBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Naples, FLMonumental table lamp by the Maestro himself. Fully functional and all original in excellent condition. Signed and numbered.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsResin
$12,000 - Italian Rainbow Table Lamp and Floor Lamp in Blown Murano Glass, 1980, VeniceBy Vintage Murano GalleryLocated in Villaverla, ITItalian Rainbow table lamp and floor lamp in blown Murano glass, 1980, Venice. This outstanding and unique set is made of one table lamp and one floor l...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome
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.