357 Feltri Lounge Chair by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, Italy, 1987
View Similar Items
357 Feltri Lounge Chair by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina, Italy, 1987
About the Item
- Creator:Ettore Sottsass (Designer),Cassina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 50 in (127 cm)Width: 29.25 in (74.3 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Jersey City, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU80732705072
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
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.
- Amazonia Vase by Artist Gaetano Pesce, Fish Design, Purchased in 1990's NYCBy Gaetano Pesce, Fish DesignLocated in Jersey City, NJBrilliant yellow and green soft resin. The colors blend together to form a fabulous example of Gaetano Pesce Amazonia Vase. Stamped Fish Design. P...Category
1990s American Vases
- Four Chairs for Dining or Game Table Circa 1950 DenmarkBy Gio PontiLocated in Jersey City, NJSet of four chairs with great detail; tapered legs and arched apron that support the seat and surrounding bullnose edge. The spindle backs are splayed, rounded and tapered at top and...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
$4,000 Sale Price / set33% Off - Set of Four Dining Chairs Marked Made in Italy, Circa 1955By Gio PontiLocated in Jersey City, NJFour dining chairs with a patinated brass frame an open back and stretcher around each tapered arched leg. The seat and back have been upholstered in a brown microsuede fabric.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$2,000 Sale Price / set75% Off - Two Sculptural Fiberglass Chairs by Jean Dudon, France, 1970By Jean DudonLocated in Jersey City, NJPair of “his and hers” chairs designed in 1970 by Jean Dudon and made of molded fiberglass with a gel coated finish one in orange the other in off...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Pair of Chairs by Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet Circa 1950 FranceBy Adrien Audoux and Frida MinnetLocated in Jersey City, NJA pair of chairs with a solid oak frame and braided rope seats designed and documented by Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet in 1950. Documented in issue 54 of Revue D'aujourd- hui, 1950.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsOak, Rope
- Pair of Lounge Chairs by Milo Baughman for Thayer CogginBy Milo Baughman, Thayer CogginLocated in Jersey City, NJPair of Milo Baughman designed lounge chairs that have been reupholstered in the off-white fabric shown and made of three inch wide, flat-bar, polished chromed steel frames. These ar...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Gaetano Pesce Feltri Armchair by CassinaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model Feltri designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Crafted using a patented Cassina production technique, F...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
$9,883 / item - Gaetano Pesce Feltri Armchair by CassinaBy Gaetano Pesce, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model Feltri designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Crafted using a patented Cassina production technique, Feltri is a symbol of cutting-edge design, the result of representational research played out on the hybrid field between art and practicality. Made entirely of thick felted wool, this design armchair by Gaetano Pesce combines an enveloping pliable backrest with a rigid lower section; a quilted topper creates an inviting cocoon. Available in many versions, through quilt and structure combinations in different colors. The seat is attached to the structure with black hemp ties that also outline the upper borders of the chair. A familiar figure on many modern antiques’ and collectors’ sites, Feltri is a summation of thinking about figuration in the hybrid zone where the artistic meets the functional. One of a kind, this piece stands out for its enormous flexibility and for the fact that the mattress-like seat can be upholstered in wide array of fabrics. These can be mixed and matched with the six new colour options of the frame, to provide a total of ten colourways. Feltri was created within Cassina’s Research Centre, a place synonymous with experimentation and constructional avant-garde thinking. Here, Gaetano Pesce dedicated time and thought to the design, in the process thinking up a complex new manufacturing process that was later patented by the company. Created entirely from dense wool felt, the pliable, wrap-around back is all one piece. The lower section, meanwhile, is rigid and sturdy, thanks to being impregnated with a thermosetting resin. The seat is attached to the frame using hemp ties; these also extend around the chair’s upper part. A comfortable quilt, coupled with polyester wadding, serves to upholster the inner section of the chair. Important information regarding images of products: Please note that some of the images show other colors and variations of the model, these images are only to present interior design proposals. The item that is selling is on the first image. Important information regarding color(s) of products: Actual colors may vary. This is due to the fact that every computer monitor, laptop, tablet and phone screen has a different capability to display colors and that everyone sees these colours differently. We try to edit our photos to show all of our products as life-like as possible, but please understand the actual color may vary slightly from your monitor About the designer: Gaetano Pesce was born in La Spezia in 1939. He studied architecture at the IUAV in Venice, and attended the Venice Institute of Industrial design. At this experimental school, he met Milena Vettore with whom he opened a studio in Padua, founding in 1959 the “N” Group which focussed on with studies in programmed art. He carries out research in the field of kinetic and serial art. He is in the theatre and the cinema, concerned with lighting, movement and sound as means of expression. Since 1962 he has worked in design, experimenting with new materials and unusual shapes. In 1971 he collaborated with BracciodiFerro (in the Cassina group) for the production of certain experimental objects (like Moloch, 1971, a table lamp blown up to the dimensions of an ironic and emblematic item). In 1972 he took part in the famous exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at MoMA in New York, with a dwelling module. Experimentation and irony are also exhibited in his projects for Cassina, amongst which the Tramonto a New York sofa (1980) and the Feltri armchair...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
$9,883 / item - Gaetano Pesce Feltri Armchair by CassinaBy Gaetano Pesce, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model Feltri designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Crafted using a patented Cassina production technique, Feltri is a symbol of cutting-edge design, the result of representational research played out on the hybrid field between art and practicality. Made entirely of thick felted wool, this design armchair by Gaetano Pesce combines an enveloping pliable backrest with a rigid lower section; a quilted topper creates an inviting cocoon. Available in many versions, through quilt and structure combinations in different colors. The seat is attached to the structure with black hemp ties that also outline the upper borders of the chair. A familiar figure on many modern antiques’ and collectors’ sites, Feltri is a summation of thinking about figuration in the hybrid zone where the artistic meets the functional. One of a kind, this piece stands out for its enormous flexibility and for the fact that the mattress-like seat can be upholstered in wide array of fabrics. These can be mixed and matched with the six new colour options of the frame, to provide a total of ten colourways. Feltri was created within Cassina’s Research Centre, a place synonymous with experimentation and constructional avant-garde thinking. Here, Gaetano Pesce dedicated time and thought to the design, in the process thinking up a complex new manufacturing process that was later patented by the company. Created entirely from dense wool felt, the pliable, wrap-around back is all one piece. The lower section, meanwhile, is rigid and sturdy, thanks to being impregnated with a thermosetting resin. The seat is attached to the frame using hemp ties; these also extend around the chair’s upper part. A comfortable quilt, coupled with polyester wadding, serves to upholster the inner section of the chair. Important information regarding images of products: Please note that some of the images show other colors and variations of the model, these images are only to present interior design proposals. The item that is selling is on the first image. Important information regarding color(s) of products: Actual colors may vary. This is due to the fact that every computer monitor, laptop, tablet and phone screen has a different capability to display colors and that everyone sees these colours differently. We try to edit our photos to show all of our products as life-like as possible, but please understand the actual color may vary slightly from your monitor About the designer: Gaetano Pesce was born in La Spezia in 1939. He studied architecture at the IUAV in Venice, and attended the Venice Institute of Industrial design. At this experimental school, he met Milena Vettore with whom he opened a studio in Padua, founding in 1959 the “N” Group which focussed on with studies in programmed art. He carries out research in the field of kinetic and serial art. He is in the theatre and the cinema, concerned with lighting, movement and sound as means of expression. Since 1962 he has worked in design, experimenting with new materials and unusual shapes. In 1971 he collaborated with BracciodiFerro (in the Cassina group) for the production of certain experimental objects (like Moloch, 1971, a table lamp blown up to the dimensions of an ironic and emblematic item). In 1972 he took part in the famous exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at MoMA in New York, with a dwelling module. Experimentation and irony are also exhibited in his projects for Cassina, amongst which the Tramonto a New York sofa (1980) and the Feltri armchair...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
$9,883 / item - Gaetano Pesce Feltri Armchair by CassinaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model Feltri designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Crafted using a patented Cassina production technique, F...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
$9,883 / item - Gaetano Pesce Feltri Armchair by CassinaBy Gaetano Pesce, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model Feltri designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Crafted using a patented Cassina production technique, F...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
$9,883 / item - Feltri Low Armchair by Gaetano Pesce for CassinaBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Vlimmeren, BEIn 1987 Gaetano Pesce designed the amazing armchair Feltri for Cassina. Feltri was created within Cassina’s Research Centre, a place synonymous with experimentation and constructiona...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFelt