Italian designer Gaetano Pesce dies at 84 in New York
On April 3, 2024, Gaetano Pesce, the renowned Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, passed away at the age of 84 in a hospital in New York. Born in La Spezia in 1939, he completed his studies at IUAV in Venice in 1965. In 1959, he co-founded Gruppo EnneA, which later became known as Gruppo N. His famous UP5 armchair, created for C&B in 1969, earned him the Compasso d'Oro alla carriera award in 2022. His works are featured in prominent institutions such as MoMA and the Met. Among his significant projects are the Organic Building in Osaka (1993) and the Pink Pavillon in Milan (2008). He had a solo exhibition and installation planned for Milan Design Week at the time of his passing and is survived by his children.
Key facts
- Gaetano Pesce died on April 3, 2024, in New York at age 84.
- He was born in La Spezia, Italy, in 1939.
- He graduated in architecture from IUAV Venice in 1965.
- He co-founded Gruppo EnneA in 1959 and later Gruppo N.
- His UP5 armchair (1969) for C&B/B&B Italia is iconic.
- The UP series won the Compasso d'Oro alla carriera in 2022.
- He participated in MoMA's 1972 exhibition 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape'.
- His works are in MoMA, Met San Francisco, V&A, Vitra, and Centre Pompidou.
- He designed the Organic Building in Osaka (1993) and Chiat Day in New York (1994).
- He taught at Carnegie Mellon, Domus Academy, and Hong Kong Polytechnic.
- He received the Chrysler Award (1993), Designer of the Year (2006), and Lawrence J. Israel Prize (2009).
- He created provocative works like 'L'Italia in croce' (2011) and 'Maestà tradita' (2016).
- He proposed a design for the Strait of Messina bridge in 2016.
- He had planned a show 'Nice to See You' at Biblioteca Ambrosiana for Milan Design Week 2024.
- He lived and worked in New York since 1983, running Fish Design in Brooklyn.
Entities
Artists
- Gaetano Pesce
- Carlo Scarpa
- Ernesto Nathan Rogers
- Tino Bertoldo
- Alberto Biasi
- Tolo Custoza
- Sara Ivanoff
- Bruno Limena
- Manfredo Massironi
- Milla Muffato
- Gianfilippo Pecchini
- Jacob Jacobsen
Institutions
- IUAV
- Gruppo EnneA
- Gruppo N
- C&B
- B&B Italia
- MoMA
- Metropolitan Museum of Art San Francisco
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Vitra Museum
- Centre Pompidou
- Cassina
- Biblioteca Ambrosiana
- Comune di Milano
- Teatro dell'Arte di Milano
- MART Rovereto
- Triennale Milano
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Institut d'Architecture et d'Etudes Urbaines
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Domus Academy
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Fish Design
- Artribune
- Non Una di Meno
- Luisa delle Piane
Locations
- La Spezia
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Padua
- Venice
- Milan
- Osaka
- Japan
- Florence
- Santa Maria Novella
- Puglia
- Strait of Messina
- Strasbourg
- France
- Pittsburgh
- Hong Kong
- Brooklyn
- Weil am Rhein
- Germany
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris