Gaetano Pesce

GAETANO PESCE (La Spezia, Italy, 1939) for Cassina.
Armchair "Feltri", 1987
In felt.
Measurements: 127 (height) x 150 (open width) and 78 cm (closed width) x 75 cm (depth).

The "Feltri" lounger or armchair, designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1987 for Cassina, is one of the most emblematic pieces of postmodern Italian design, in which art, craftsmanship and material experimentation merge.

Pesce developed this armchair from a radical idea: to convert a textile material into a load-bearing structure. To achieve this, he used resin-hardened industrial felt on the outside, which forms the rigid body of the piece, while the inside is generously padded and upholstered with a light blue tufted upholstery that contrasts with the roughness of the outer shell.

Its tall, enveloping shape, almost like a cocoon or soft shell, suggests both protection and freedom, inviting you to recline in a relaxed posture. The top edge, slightly folded, can vary, reinforcing the organic and handcrafted character of each specimen.

I Feltri has sometimes been defined as a habitable sculpture: an exploration of the boundaries between utilitarian object and artistic work. The piece embodies the thinking of Pesce, who championed individuality and imperfection in the face of standardized industrial production.

For its pioneering use of unconventional materials, its scenographic presence and its powerful symbolic charge, I Feltri is considered a masterpiece of radical Italian design in the 1980s and an iconic representation of the free and experimental spirit of postmodernism.

Gaetano Pesce studied architecture at the University of Venice, and has worked as an architect and designer for companies such as B&B Italia, Vitra and Cassina. Based in New York since 1980, he has taught at the Cooper Union in New York and at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in Strasbourg. Some of his designs are in the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert in London, among other museums and collections.