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 Vase
By Fish Design, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
First edition Amazonia Vase, designed by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design. Exuberant form with an anthropomorphic quality. Molded in the designer's signatur...
Resin
Guido Gambone Ceramic Bottle Vase in Chartreuse Geometric Decor
By Guido Gambone
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Stunning expressionist bottle vase by Guido Gambone. Vase is decorated with a vibrant geometric pattern all over, in a striking citron yellow that pops against a white background. Th...
Stoneware
Willy Guhl Spindle Planter
By Willy Guhl
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Large spindle or diabolo planter designed by Swiss architect Willy Guhl. Originally made in three sizes, this planter is the medium size at 32 inches tall. An iconic hourglass form to add sculptural flare to the garden. This all-weather planter...
Cement
Earthenware Sphere Table Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Hand-built earthenware sphere sculpture. Beautiful, rounded ceramic form adorns a band of perforations, evoking textures from the natural world. Glaze layering has variegated densiti...
Ceramic
Willy Guhl Off-Kilter Planters
By Willy Guhl
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of off-kilter planters, designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit. A play on the classic diabolo form. Strong and robust, these tilted garden planters are sculpted from fibrous cement....
Concrete
Jacques Blin French Modern Ceramic Lamp
By Jacques Blin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Petite ceramic table lamp with etched bird motif, designed by renowned French ceramicist Jacques Blin. Surface is a mottled seafoam-green gla...
Ceramic, Raffia
Amazonia Multicolor Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce #1
By Corsi Design Factory
Located in Milan, IT
This large multicolor vase by Gaetano Pesce features a vibrant combination of matt dust green, cherry, pastel yellow, and pastel pink hues. Part of the Fish Design collection, the va...
Resin
Indian Summer Large Vase by Gaetano Pesce
By Gaetano Pesce, Corsi Design Factory
Located in Milan, IT
A strikingly singular addition to a personal art collection, this gorgeous vase is a veritable work of art of bold visual impact. Entirely crafted of soft resin, it boasts a magnific...
Resin
Indian Summer L Vase By Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory
Located in Milan, IT
Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Our pieces will be manufactured after receiving the order, keeping the model’s references, its colour...
Resin
'Amazonia' Resin Vase by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Design Italy, Serie 2007, Signed
By Fish Design, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This sculptural 'Amazonia' vase by Gaetano Pesce for Fish Designs, Italy, is an authentic early-21st-century example dating to 2007 (signed with Serie 2007 stamp), produced during a period when Pesce’s resin works were still executed in comparatively limited, workshop-driven batches rather than today’s broader ongoing production. As such, pieces from this era are increasingly sought after by collectors for their closer proximity to the artist’s original intent, material experimentation, and hands-on oversight. The vase is formed in richly pigmented, hand-poured resin with Pesce’s signature organic asymmetry and expressive surface texture. The undulating body evokes aquatic movement, while the integrated fish-like feet give the form a playful yet surreal presence, hallmarks of Pesce’s long-standing fascination with nature, transformation, and nonconformist design. Variations in translucency, air bubbles, and color density are inherent to the work and should be understood as deliberate artistic choices rather than imperfections, reinforcing the individuality of each example. This piece retains its original molded Pesce stamp at the base, confirming authenticity. The warm golden-amber coloration is particularly striking, catching and refracting light in a way that accentuates the sculptural contours and gives the vase a glowing, almost molten quality. Whether displayed as a functional vessel or as a standalone sculptural object, it reads immediately as Pesce - bold, provocative, and unapologetically unconventional. A strong addition for collectors of post-modern and contemporary Italian design, this 2007 Amazonia vase represents a desirable earlier chapter in Pesce’s resin oeuvre and stands apart from later mass-market iterations. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Gaetano Pesce, born on November 8, 1939, in La Spezia, Italy, is renowned as a leading figure in contemporary Italian design and architecture. Fearlessly experimental with materials and color, Pesce has collaborated with Italy’s foremost design companies, including Artemide, Vitra, Cassina, and B&B Italia. Pesce began his journey into design at the University of Venice, where he pursued architecture and graduated in 1965. Influenced by prominent figures such as Ernesto Nathan Rogers and Mario Bellini at the Venice College of Industrial Design, Pesce embraced a commitment to novelty and avant-garde principles. He co-founded the avant-garde architectural collective "Gruppo N," inspired by the Bauhaus aesthetic, during his formative years. Pesce’s portfolio encompasses a wide range of designs, from iconic furniture pieces to monumental architectural projects. His creations reflect a profound contemplation of modernity, exemplified by the La Mamma chair (1969), which evokes a prehistoric fertility figure, and the Organic Building in Osaka (1993), celebrated for its innovative hanging garden motif. Among his most celebrated furniture designs are the Up series for B&B Italia, including the Up5 armchair (La Donna) and Up6 ottoman (La Mamma), which challenge traditional notions of form and function with their bold, anthropomorphic shapes. Other notable designs include the 357 Feltri chair...
Resin
Amazonia Resin Vase L #2 By Gaetano Pesce
By Corsi Design Factory
Located in Milan, IT
Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection.
Resin
Contemporary Gaetano Pesce Amazonia Vase XL Resin Green Turquoise Coral Red
Located in barasso, IT
Amazonia vase - clear green, matt green, turquoise, coral red Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: XL - ø 30cm x H 56cm Colours...
Resin
