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Born in La Spezia, Italy, in 1939, Gaetano Pesce lives in New York and apart from being a designer, he has been described as an architect, sculptor, musician, and fashion designer. MoMA curator Paola Antonelli describes Pesce as a designer who has "found freedom in the direct expression and experimentation that is allowed in art."

• What does this look like to you? Why?

Ordinary to Extraordinary
Although Pesce’s furniture is designed for mass production, Pesce warns against the danger of creating too many things that look alike. As he said "uniformity is what we must fear more than death, since it is death itself." ¹ Pesce overcomes the uniform quality of factory-made design by incorporating imperfections into his pieces that are caused by small changes during the manufacturing process (such as shifting the colors).

• Do you agree or disagree with Pesce’s comment about the danger of things being the same? Why or why not?

• How might you compare the Feltri Chair to other chairs you use everyday?

From Canvas to Candy
Pesce uses materials made for mass production, particularly plastics, which are cheap and are not difficult to process. He said, "We need to design works that can be produced by anyone without the need for advanced technology." ¹

The Feltri Chair is made of a large semi-circular piece of industrial felt that has been partially soaked in resin and baked in a mold to form the seat of the chair. The fanlike back of the chair has not been molded and is soft enough to be folded down or comfortably wrapped around the seated person.

• Can you imagine what it might be like to sit in this chair?

• Do you agree with Pesce’s statement that process and material should be kept simple? Why or why not?

• Is this a chair you would like to have? Why or why not?

1. Cara McCarty, Currents 69: Gaetano Pesce (Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 1997).