UP 3 thumbnail 1
UP 3 thumbnail 2
Not on display

UP 3

Chair
1969 (designed), 1970 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Architect, designer and educator, Gaetano Pesce (1939-) was born in La Spezia, Italy. He studied architecture at the University of Venice and was a member of Gruppo N (founded 1959, Padua, Italy).

The Up 3 armchair was designed in 1969 for C&B Italia and Pesce had the idea for the chair whilst thinking about the composition of a sponge. The chair is made from a high-density polyurethane foam without an internal structure, an ingenious design that can be vacuum-packed and stored and shipped flat. The chair is part of his Up series of organic and pliable furniture, the most iconic and controversial of the series is the La Mamma chair. In 2019,Pesce commented, 'today, design is an art and because of that must express not only practical content, but also content related to a political, relgious, philosophical and existential reality.'

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • UP 3 (assigned by artist)
  • Up (series title)
Materials and techniques
polyurethane foam, nylon-jersey cover
Brief description
Chair, model 'Up 3'; Italian, 1969, designed by Gaetano Pesce and manufactured by C&B Italia, Milan
Physical description
A turqoise circle shaped chair with fabric stretched over polyurethane foam.
Dimensions
  • Width: 97.7cm
  • Height: 119cm
  • Depth: 66cm
Gallery label
(September 2008)
UP 3 chair
Gaetano Pesce (born 1939)
1969, manufactured 1970

The UP series of chairs were made from vacuum packed moulded polyurethane foam. Once purchased, the user unwrapped the PVC packaging and the chair would spring back into life, returning to its original form. The act of buying and using furniture was thus transformed into a performance.


Italy
Manufacturer: C&B Italia S.p.A, Novedrate
Polyurethane foam, nylon jersey cover
V&A: Circ.211.1970

image caption: UP Chair, publicity photograph, C&B Italia S.p.A., early 1970s
Subjects depicted
Summary
Architect, designer and educator, Gaetano Pesce (1939-) was born in La Spezia, Italy. He studied architecture at the University of Venice and was a member of Gruppo N (founded 1959, Padua, Italy).

The Up 3 armchair was designed in 1969 for C&B Italia and Pesce had the idea for the chair whilst thinking about the composition of a sponge. The chair is made from a high-density polyurethane foam without an internal structure, an ingenious design that can be vacuum-packed and stored and shipped flat. The chair is part of his Up series of organic and pliable furniture, the most iconic and controversial of the series is the La Mamma chair. In 2019,Pesce commented, 'today, design is an art and because of that must express not only practical content, but also content related to a political, relgious, philosophical and existential reality.'

Collection
Accession number
CIRC.211-1970

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Record createdOctober 1, 2008
Record URL
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