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Crosby chair

Chair
1998 (designed), 1998 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Crosby child's chair sums up Gaetano Pesce's approach to design. It is made of an industrial synthetic material which has been treated as if it were a craft material. The back and sides of the chair are made of a single sheet of pliable polyurethane resin which has been poured into a mould.

The colours and details of each chair are unique, although the overall dimensions and shape can be made serially. Bright colours are characteristic of all Pesce's designs, not only in his children's furniture. The chair also demonstrates Pesce's interest in the symbolic value of furniture. The seat is actually the profile of a head, and another smiling face is suggested by the holes that pierce the chair's back. Many of Pesce's designs for furniture and interiors have anthropomorphic qualities. He made adult and children's Crosby chairs, which were named after the location of his workshop.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCrosby chair (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Metal rod with moulded and poured polyurethane resin
Brief description
Chair, 'Crosby' child's chair, designed by Gaetano Pesce and made by Fish Design, resin and metal, 1998
Physical description
A child's chair with metal rod legs and frame, the front legs terminating in black resin feet, the back legs terminating in red resin feet. The frame is connected to a 'U'-shaped back and sides formed from a single sheet of poured polyurethane resin, yellow edged with red, pierced in the centre with three holes edged in blue suggesting the eyes and smiling mouth of a face.
Dimensions
  • Height: 520mm
  • Width: 360mm
  • Depth: 340mm
  • Weight: 1.8kg
Production typeLimited edition
Gallery label
(01/07/2023)
Charming chairs

In a child’s imagination, anything is possible. By using animal shapes or adding a friendly face to furniture, designers invite their small users to include these objects in their play.

In Gaetano Pesce’s playful Crosby chair there’s more than one face – can you spot them both?

4 Puppy chair
Designer: Eero Aarnio, 2003, Finland
Manufacturer: Magis, 2021, Italy
Materials: Plastic
Given by Magis
Museum no. B.6-2023

5 Dodo chair
Designer: Oiva Toikka, 2009, Finland
Manufacturer: Magis, 2022, Italy
Materials: Plastic
Given by Magis
Museum no. B.8-2023

6 Crosby chair
Designer: Gaetano Pesce
Manufacturer: Fish Design
Date: 1998
Location: New York
Materials: Polyurethane resin
Gift of Bettina and Joe Gleason
Museum no. W.51-2005

7 Plywood elephant chair
Designer: Charles and Ray Eames, 1945, USA
Manufacturer: Vitra, 2007, Switzerland
Materials: Plywood
Museum no. B.257-2009

[Young V&A, Design Gallery, Design changes materials we use, group object label]
Credit line
Gift of Bettina and Joe Gleason
Object history
The chair was bought from the designer to celebrate the birth of the donor's son in April 1998.
Production
The chair's name derives from the location of Pesce's workshop in Crosby Street, New York.
Attribution note: Later versions of the Crosby Chair were made entirely of resin with seven moulded resin legs. The colours of this chair were chosen by the donor at the time it was ordered. About forty Crosby chairs (large and small) in total were made.
Subject depicted
Summary
The Crosby child's chair sums up Gaetano Pesce's approach to design. It is made of an industrial synthetic material which has been treated as if it were a craft material. The back and sides of the chair are made of a single sheet of pliable polyurethane resin which has been poured into a mould.

The colours and details of each chair are unique, although the overall dimensions and shape can be made serially. Bright colours are characteristic of all Pesce's designs, not only in his children's furniture. The chair also demonstrates Pesce's interest in the symbolic value of furniture. The seat is actually the profile of a head, and another smiling face is suggested by the holes that pierce the chair's back. Many of Pesce's designs for furniture and interiors have anthropomorphic qualities. He made adult and children's Crosby chairs, which were named after the location of his workshop.
Collection
Accession number
W.51-2005

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Record createdMarch 31, 2006
Record URL
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