Gaetano Pesce Dining Room Table, "Le Fablier" Edition, Signed
View Similar Items
Gaetano Pesce Dining Room Table, "Le Fablier" Edition, Signed
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 34.65 in (88 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 2010
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Nice, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93571277686
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 Wall Sconce, Edited by "the Pesce, " circa 2000, ItalyBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurGaetano Pesce, wall sconce, Meritalia production, edited by "The Pesce," polyurethane resin, circa 2000, Italy, piece unique. Measures: Height 80 cm, diameter 80 cm, depth 11 cm....Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsResin
- Jean Prouvé with Guy Rey-Millet, Dining Room Table, Wood, Refuge de la VanoiseBy Guy Rey-Millet, Jean ProuvéLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurJean Prouvé with guy Rey-Millet, dining room table, wood, Refuge de la Vanoise, CAF, Les Arcs, circa 1967, France. Measure: Height 70 cm, ...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Jean Prouvé with Guy Rey-Millet, Dining Room Table, Wood, Refuge de la VanoiseBy Guy Rey-Millet, Jean ProuvéLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurJean Prouvé with guy Rey-Millet, dining room table, wood, Refuge de la Vanoise, CAF, Les Arcs, circa 1967, France. Measure: Height 70 cm, ...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Jean-Charles Moreux, Dining Room Table in Oak and Iron, circa 1937 FranceLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurJean-Charles Moreux (1889-1956), Dining-room Table, Oak and sculpted iron, With two extensions 55 cm x 105 cm crosses carved in iron, circa 1937, France. Measures : Height: 72 cm,...Category
Vintage 1930s French Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsIron
- Elegant wood Table, circa 1960, FranceLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurFreeform walnut dining table, Rectangular top, four legs, Beautiful patina, circa 1960, France. Measures : Height 69,5 cm, Width 176,5 cm, Depth 86 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Pierpaolo Calzolari, Laguna Table, Two Elements, 1980, ItalyBy Pier Paolo CalzolariLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurPierpaolo Calzolari (1943), Laguna tables in two elements, oak and beechwood, burnt cedar, lead and earthenware, circa 1980, Italy. Measurements each table: Height 75 cm, width 2m50,...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsLead
- 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
- "Sansone II" Dining Table by Gaetano Pesce for CassinaBy Cassina, Gaetano PesceLocated in GRONINGEN, NLVery rare red and black resin "Sansone II" dining table by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina the table is resting on a metal grid which is supported by pvc legs and...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMetal
- "Swamp Table" by Gaetano Pesce, Multicolor, Wood, Italy 1993By Gaetano PesceLocated in New York, NYDuring his career, that spans four decades with commissions in architecture, urban planning, interior, exhibition and industrial design, Gaetano Pesce, the architect and designer, has conceived public and private projects in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. In all his work, he expresses his guiding principle: that modernism is less a style than a method for interpreting the present and hinting at the future in which individuality is preserved and celebrated. Born in La Spezia, Italy, in 1939, Pesce studied Architecture at the University of Venice between 1958-1963 and was a participant in Gruppo N...Category
1990s European Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
Price Upon Request - Drip Paint Saw Horse Table in the Style of Gaetano PesceBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Los Angeles, CAFantastic table in the style of Gaetano Pesce. Wood saw house table with horizontal slats and folding metal legs. Entire table frame and legs covered in drip...Category
Late 20th Century American Tables
MaterialsMetal
$2,100 Sale Price50% Off - Dining Room Table "Monaco" by Gérard Guermonprez, Signed Magnani Edition, 1960By Gerard GuermonprezLocated in Renens, CHDining room table "Monaco" by Gérard Guermonprez. Signed Magnani edition, Circa 1960. Extending table in elm, feet in black lacquered steel. Dimensions : H. 75cm / W.160 / D. 80cm.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Gaetano Pesce Tavolone TableBy Gaetano PesceLocated in Naples, FLExceptionally rare. Exceptional colors. 1in thick resin top, poured over a steel grid. Through the manipulation of resin the shape of a face is achieved. A monumental museum worthy w...Category
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
$75,000
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.