He was one of the masters of Italian design. Born in 1939 in La Spezia, Italy, and for the last few decades living in New York, Gaestano Pesce studied architecture at the University of Venice before starting his career in the world of Design.
He challenged the conventions of traditional design, exploring new materials, forms and production techniques.
He will be recognized for his sculptural pieces, which in many cases defied social conventions and norms. In this context, one of his most iconic creations is the “Up 5” armchair, signed in 1969 and published by B&B Italia, which received a great deal of media coverage at the Milan Fair.
Its organic shape and the 'chain' connected to a smaller sphere represent a political call on the role of women in contemporary societies, criticizing the oppression of the female universe, both in its domestic and working roles.
In 2019, B&B Italia launched a special edition commemorating the 50th anniversary of UP with a 'striped' fabric and special colors, which it named UP 50. Since then, the UP armchair has been on continuous display in our store in Rua de O Século.
For the Cassina brand, Pesce has designed several pieces that stand out for their originality, such as the Feltri line (1987) or one of the most recently reissued collections - Paravento Tramonto a New York - reissued last year in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
In addition to his contribution to design, Pesce left behind award-winning work in architecture, having designed a series of innovative buildings all over the world.
