Geatano Pesce "Nobody's Perfect" Chair
View Similar Items
Geatano Pesce "Nobody's Perfect" Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Depth: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Resin,Molded
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2010
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU954122108182
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.
- Early Production Gaetano Pesce Amazonia VaseBy Fish Design, Gaetano PesceLocated in Brooklyn, NYFirst edition Amazonia Vase, designed by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design. Exuberant form with an anthropomorphic quality. Molded in the designer's signatur...Category
1990s American Vases
MaterialsResin
- Large Gaetano Pesce Amazonia Vase, Early ProductionBy Fish Design, Gaetano PesceLocated in Brooklyn, NYFirst edition Amazonia vase, designed by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design. An impressive example for its large scale and striking colors. Molded in the desi...Category
1990s North American Vases
MaterialsResin
- Early Production Gaetano Pesce Amazonia Vase, Green and YellowBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Brooklyn, NYFirst edition Amazonia Vase, designed by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design. Exuberant form with an anthropomorphic quality. Molded in the designer's signatur...Category
1990s Vases
MaterialsResin
- Hans J Wegner Round ChairBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYThree available, inquire within. Known simply as "The Chair," this iconic armchair was designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1949. Patinaed Danish oak frame has been gently restored, and the...Category
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
$6,000 / item - Vintage Corrugated Cardboard ChairLocated in Brooklyn, NYUnique, one-off vintage corrugated cardboard chair. Reminiscent of Frank Gehry’s cardboard Wiggle chair, this minimal design follows a sequential...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPaper
- Hans J. Wegner Valet ChairBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYExquisite model JH-540 valet chair, designed by Hans J. Wegner for cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen. Originally designed for a king, no detail is overlooked in its craftsmanship. Sculptu...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsOak
$17,500
- Gaetano Pesce "Nobody's Perfect" Chair, Zerodisegno, 2002By Gaetano PesceLocated in PARIS, FRNobody's perfect chair Gaetano Pesce, Zerodisegno / Italy, 2002. Mark: Zerodisegno / Gaetano Pesce, 2002 Signed and dated: 03 06 2002 . UNIQUE PIECE. Excellent conditionCategory
Early 2000s Italian Chairs
MaterialsEpoxy Resin
- Gaetano Pesce "Nobody's Perfect" Chair, Zerodisegno, 2003By Gaetano PesceLocated in PARIS, FRNobody's perfect chair Gaetano Pesce, Zerodisegno / Italy, 2003. Mark: Zerodisegno / Gaetano Pesce, 2003 Signed and dated: 22 01 03 UNIQUE PIECE. Excellent conditionCategory
Early 2000s Italian Chairs
MaterialsEpoxy Resin
- Sedia Nobody's Perfect di Gaetano Pesce per ZerodisegnoBy Zerodisegno, Gaetano PesceLocated in Rivoli, ITBellissima piccola sedia realizzata da Gaetano Pesce per Zerodiegno nel 2003. Decorata nei toni del bianco, rosso e argento, dona un tocco di eleganza all'ambiente in cui viene collo...Category
Early 2000s Chairs
MaterialsResin
- Gaetano Pesce Nobody's Royal Chairs with Nobody's Pouf OttomanBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Naples, FLFrom the Zerodisegno Nobody's Perfect series in 2003. One of the only full sets known to exist. Nobody's King, Nobody's Queen, and Nobody's Pouf make up one of the rarest and most so...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Resin
- Up1 Chairs by Gaetano Pesce for B&B ItaliaBy B&B Italia, Gaetano PesceLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1990s. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item. These chairs are a piece of postmodern Italian design history. Fully made of polyurethane foam.Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$5,900 / set - Gaetano Pesce La Smorfia Chair Meritalia, 2003By Gaetano PesceLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantPostmodern chair designed by Gaetano Pesce and manufactured by Meritalia, Italy 2003. This unique shaped chair is more of a sculpture and fits perfectly in the oeuvre from Pesce, wit...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
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.