European Decorative Arts and Sculpture "Up 5" Chair and "Up 6" Ottoman Made in Milan, ItalyDesigned 1969, reissued 1994 Gaetano Pesce, Italian, born 1939. Made by C & B Italia S.p.A, Novedrate, Italyfrom 1970-72. Made by B & B Italia, Milanfrom 1973-81, 1984, 1994 to present. Expandable polyurethane foam, stretch jersey fabric Currently not on view 2000-151-1,2 Gift of Collab: The Group for Modern and Contemporary Design at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2000 |
LabelThe chair that made Pesce famous in 1969, Up 5 is largely characteristic of the designer's unique philosophy, imbuing personality into his designs through unconventional materials. Up 5 not only has an organic look and feel-the whole piece literally "grows" into form when unwrapped from its tight vacuum seal. It comes as no surprise, then, that Up 5 evokes a mother's womb and that opening its package becomes an event similar to birth. Pesce has cleverly applied polyurethane, a highly synthetic material, as a metaphor for one of the most precious moments in humanity. |
