Gaetano Pesce Greene Street Chair Vitra, Germany, 1984
View Similar Items
Gaetano Pesce Greene Street Chair Vitra, Germany, 1984
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer),Vitra (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 20.87 in (53 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1984
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Roosendaal, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93306046923
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.
Vitra
Design house Vitra has garnered international recognition for more than 70 years — the Swiss family-owned furniture company has outfitted public spaces as well as residential properties and offices worldwide. It has been a proponent of modernist design since the 1950s. While the brand is heralded for its collaborations with mid-century modern icons such as Verner Panton, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard and others, Vitra’s German campus is also home to buildings designed by legendary architects Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. Among them is the Vitra Design Museum, an independent cultural institution that displays two centuries of design today.
Vitra was established in Weil Am Rhein, Germany, in 1950 by husband and wife team Willi and Erika Fehlbaum. On a trip to New York several years later, Willi Fehlbaum encountered the work of design polymaths Ray and Charles Eames in a furniture store and immediately knew that he had found his bliss.
In 1957, Vitra entered into a licensing agreement with Herman Miller, which saw the company producing designs by George Nelson, the Eameses and others. Later, Vitra partnered with Verner Panton and created the Panton chair, which was the first chair ever crafted from a single piece of molded plastic (it was also the first piece to be independently developed by Vitra). After 27 years of establishing the Vitra brand, the Fehlbaums passed control to their two sons, Rolf and Raymond Fehlbaum.
When a fire destroyed the factory in 1981, the brothers developed the Vitra Factory Campus, subsequently taking the opportunity to redirect the architectural landscape of the company. They created a masterplan with Nicholas Grimshaw, and together they erected four buildings in just a few short years.
In 1988, with the passing of Ray Eames and the disbandment of the Los Angeles Eames office, Rolf and Raymond acquired the furniture design portion of her estate, including the Eames prototypes and experimental models, housed today in the Vitra Design Museum.
Rolf and Roy opened the Vitra Design Museum in 1989. This began a period rich with design relationships, including collaborations with Antonio Citterio, Jasper Morrison, Maarten van Severen, Philippe Starck, Alberto Meda and others.
In 2012, leadership passed to Nora, the third generation of the Fehlbaums. Nora Fehlbaum has, like her grandparents, expanded the company and brought it into the 21st century with the acquisition of Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek. Nora has turned the company’s focus to sustainability yet still maintains its international and cultural relevance legacy.
Find a collection of Vitra lounge chairs, tables, side chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- 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
- Gaetano Pesce Exhibition Poster Bernini, Italy, 2001By Gaetano PesceLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantRare exhibition poster designed by Gaetano Pesce for Bernini, Italy 2001. This poster was an exhibition poster for the Bernini Exhibition at Gal...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Contemporary Art
MaterialsGlass, Wood, Paper
- Gaetano Pesce Goto vase Domus Caffe Florian 1995By Gaetano PesceLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantThis charming vase designed by Gaetano Pesce and made by Caffe Florian in 1995 was created to mark the G. Pesce show at the Caffe Florian during the Venice Biennale in 1995. The vase is shaped like the head of the Lion of San Marco, and it has the Italian text "Toast to Venice" molded onto it. On the bottom, you'll find the words "Florian Temporanea." Each Goto vase...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsRubber
- Gaetano Pesce Fish design vase Murano Italy 1994By Gaetano PesceLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantExtremely rare glass vase designed by Gaetano Pesce and manufactured by Fish Design in Italy in 1994. These vases were all unique, This vase was executed in Murano, and only made in ...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Emiel Veranneman Osaka Chair De Coene Belgium 1968By Emiel Veranneman, De Coene FrèresLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantBeautiful 'Osaka' chair designed by Emiel Veranneman and manufactured by De Coene, Belgium 1968. The Osaka dining chair was designed by Emiel Veranneman and usd at the Belgian pavili...Category
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Bruno Ninaber Van Eyben 020 Chair Artifort 1977By Artifort, Bruno Ninaber van EybenLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantExquisite piece of Dutch design, this model 020 chair designed by Bruno Ninaber van Eyben which was manufactured by Artifort, The Netherlands 1977. This ...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Broadway Chair by Gaetano PesceBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Long Island City, NYSculptural Broadway chair designed by Gaetano Pesce for Bernini. Each chair features a marble green hue.Supported by flexible and dynamic brushed steel frame. The seat and back are c...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Verner Panton Two Cantilevered Chairs by Vitra Herman Miller EditionBy Vitra, Verner PantonLocated in Miami, FLTimeless cantilevered side chairs designed by Verner Panton in 1959. High-quality design made of fiberglass. Unique, retouched condition. Our pair of Panton cantilevered chairs are a stunning golden yellow, original color was blue, see detailed photographs. We have paired them with a stylish Postmodern Circular James Turco Designed Milano Memphis painted and lacquered side table, sold separately. This Pair of Verner Panton Cantilevered Chairs Quality Features: Accomplished design: perfect proportions and visible attention to detail high-quality workmanship using high quality materials. Made in Denmark, Bears the makers mark. Design: Verner Panton, manufacturer: Vitra / Herman Miller Collection Measures: 24 3/4" Deep x 19 1/2" Wide x 32 1/4" High About the Designer and Chair Model: From the early 1950s, Panton had dreamt of making a stackable, cantilevered chair all in one piece. In 1956, he designed the S chair which can be considered a forerunner of the Panton chair. He saw it as an item of furniture in which the back, seat and legs were made of the same material and in one continuous piece. It was first produced in 1965. Panton made a series of sketches and design drawings for the Panton chair in the 1950s. In 1960, he created his first model, a plaster-cast, in collaboration with Dansk Akrylteknik. In the mid-1960s, he met Willi Fehlbaum, who, unlike many other producers, was fascinated with the drawings of his legless chair in plastic rather than wood, the favoured material of the times. Working closely with Fehlbaum, Panton produced a cold-pressed model using polyester strengthened with fibreglass. For the first time, an entire chair had been designed in one piece, without any legs. It became known as a free-swinger. The first rather heavy model, which required substantial finishing work, was subsequently improved and adapted to industrial production using thermoplastic polystyrene which led to a marked reduction in cost. In 1968, Fehlbaum, from Vitra, initiated serial production of the final version which was sold by the Herman Miller Furniture Company. It was varnished in seven colors. In 1979, however, production was halted as it became apparent that the material polystyrene was not sufficiently durable. Four years later, the model was again produced as the Panton chair Classic, this time in the rather more expensive material. Finally, in 1999, Vitra used...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- La Fonda Chairs by Eames for Vitra, Original Fabric, Fiberglass, 1960sBy Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in amstelveen, NLLa Fonda chairs by Eames for Vitra, Orange, Fiberglass, 1960s. This lovely set of two La Fonda armchairs is the absolute eye-catcher in every styl...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsAbalone, Wool, Fiberglass
- White Panton Chair by Verner Panton for Vitra with Side StoolBy Vitra, Verner PantonLocated in Pasadena, TXWhite Panton chair by Verner Panton for Vitra with Side Stool Captivated by the potential of plastic, Danish designer Verner Panton created the f...Category
Late 20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsPlastic
- Umbrella chair, Gaetano Pesce, Zerodisegno, 1995'sBy Gaetano PesceLocated in PARIS, FR"Umbrella " chair in epoxy metal and plastic, with seating system following the operating principle of an umbrella. Edited by ZerodesignoCategory
1990s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gaetano Pesce Senza Fine Chair - WhiteBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Naples, FLRare Gaetano Pesce design produced by Meritalia, Italy 2009. Incredible condition Dimensions approximate A cord of extruded polyurethane molded into the shape of a chair. Each chai...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
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.