1970s Gaetano Pesce Big Mama C&b Italy Big Ball
About the Item
- Creator:Gaetano Pesce (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Diameter: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:good vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Biella, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8070232652222
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Biella, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Reguitti Brescia Italy "Capri" Long ChairBy Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Biella, ITReguitti Brescia Italy long chair "Capri", design years 50 in very good vintage condition. Measures: high 48 inches, large 23", deep 64".Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsTextile, Wood
- 1960s Dal Vera Design Italy Arm Chairs- Set of 2By Dal VeraLocated in Biella, ITDal Vera design Italy set of two arm chairs years '50 midcentury wood lacquered black and leatherette red color, measure; 28 inches x 24"...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Vintage Ceiling Lamp Lucite Plexi by Gaetano Missaglia, Italy, 1970By Gaetano MissagliaLocated in Biella, ITGaetano Missaglia design Italy by production anni ’70 ceiling lamp three point light in plexiglass transparent ad satinated. The ceiling lamp in perfec...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Vintage Lounge Chair Osvaldo Borsani, Armchair and Ottoman Canada Tecno 1965By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Biella, ITOsvaldo Borsani design, armchair with ottoman "Canada" by Tecno Italy years 65 good general condition of the structure with little sign of use in the velvet footstool and wood arm ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- 1970s Gavina Italy Chair "Cesca" by Marcel BreuerBy Marcel BreuerLocated in Biella, ITGavina production Italy chair "cesca" by Marcel Breuer design years '70, signed label.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s Pippo Pozzi Alessandria/Biella Italy Ceramic PlateBy PozziLocated in Biella, ITPippo Pozzi, Alessandria 1910 / Biella 1999, Italy in years 1960 ceramic plate design measure diameter 13 inches x 1,2" deep, in perfect condition A is very rare. signed in t...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- "Big Mama" Up Chair By Gaetano Pesce For B&B Italia, Italy, circa 2000By B&B Italia, Gaetano PesceLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentIt was 1968 when Gaetano Pesce began experimenting at his Paris atelier with vacuum-packing the hippest material of the moment: polyurethane. Soon he’d developed a gravity-defying mo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, PVC
- Gaetano Pesce ''Big Mama'' lounge chair and ottoman, serie UP 5/6, 1970s, B&BBy Gaetano Pesce, B&B ItaliaLocated in Quarrata, ITGaetano Pesce ''Big Mama'' lounge chair and ottoman, serie UP 5/6, 1970s, B&B Italia.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Rubber
- "Big Mama" Up Chair by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia, Italy, c.2000By B&B Italia, Gaetano PesceLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentIt was 1968 when Gaetano Pesce began experimenting at his Paris atelier with vacuum-packing the hippest Material of the moment: polyurethane. Soon he’d developed a gravity-defying mo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Armchair "la mama" by Gaetano Pesce for B&b ItaliaBy Gaetano PesceLocated in PARIS, FRIn the early 1960s, the chemist Bayer developed a polyurethane foam with a new resin, allowing the creation of various and simple shapes. In the middle of the decade, the Italian des...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
- 1970s Unique Italian Chaise LongueLocated in London, GBAn extraordinary and unique chaise longe all hand carved with gilding and paintwork. This piece has been newly upholstered in buttoned midnight blue velvet, sitting on carved gilded seashells...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chaise Longues
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Antique French Louis XVI Chaise Lounge and Ottoman, circa 1890Located in New Orleans, LAAntique French Louis XVI chaise lounge and ottoman, circa 1890. Measurements: Chair- 37.75 inches high x 27 inches wide x 20 deep Ottoma...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
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.