Up 5 Armchair and Up 6 Ottoman
- Gaetano Pesce, Italian, 1939-
- Born: La Spezia, Italy
- Work Locations: New York, NY, Venice, Italy, Paris, France
- B&B Italia S.p.A., Italian
- Work Locations: Milan, Italy, Novedrate, Italy
- Active Dates: 1966-
Gaetano Pesce, Up 5 Armchair and Up 6 Ottoman, 1969. Polyurethane foam and elastic nylon jersey upholstery. Manufactured by B&B Italia, Novedrate, Italy. Denver Art Museum: Gift of the manufacturer, 1994.260A–B.
Gaetano Pesce started to experiment with polyurethane in the late 1960s. His mass-produced Up armchairs were vacuum-packed into a four-inch-thick disc that, when removed from its packaging, would rise to this voluptuous shape in fifteen minutes. “The series was born from thinking about the nature of a sponge,” explains Pesce. “Thinking about this and soft, expanded polyurethane, which back then was a new material, I got the idea to create a series of chairs with no internal structure.”
- MASTERWORKS: ITALIAN DESIGN, 1960-1994
- “By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects” — Denver Art Museum, 10/24/2021 – 12/5/2022
- “By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects (1st Rotation)” — Denver Art Museum, 12/16/2022 – 1/31/2024
Some images in our online collection are at thumbnail size, in accordance with AAMD guidelines, because they are protected by copyright. The Denver Art Museum respects the rights of artists or their representatives who retain the copyright to their work. Other images represent the best photography available and should be used as reference images only. Please complete the Image Rights Request form if you want to request a high resolution image.
