Modern Relics
Once preserved within prestigious private collections across the globe, the works of Gaetano Pesce, now on view at PAD London, resurface as rare and significant rediscoveries of the artist’s legacy.
Created in 1996 for the exhibition Le Temps des Questions at the Centre Pompidou, the Sikh Cabinet is a singular piece. Half-buried, the object emerges from compacted earth like a sarcophagus from a bygone era. Made of resin-soaked bandages, its door is weighted by a cast-iron counterweight. Blending functionality and sculpture, the Sikh Cabinet asserts a powerful presence, combining material resistance with symbolic gravity.
The Luigi, O Mi Amate Voi bookcase (1993) feels like the rediscovery of a fragment from the Library of Alexandria. Arranged in a series of painted columns, it conveys architectural rhythm, its hinged panels allowing for dynamic and modular shelving.
Created in 1986 for the El Liston bar in Japan, the Square lamp combines a translucent resin body with a heavy base. Its surface, marked by the unpredictable effects of its making, casts a soft, colorful glow. Resting on its pedestal, it acts as a quiet beacon within the exhibition space. With its sharp lines and irregular texture, it evokes a luminous artifact unearthed from a buried interior.
Partially embedded in the ground, this colored resin sideboard epitomizes Gaetano Pesce’s experimental approach. From the Nobody’s Perfect series, it was formed using a flexible mold. With its irregular contours and vivid color variations, the sideboard remains fully functional, equipped with sturdy hinges and ample storage space. This relic embraces the aesthetics of chance — a method fully assumed and celebrated by the artist.
The 931 table (1993), accompanied by its six 928 chairs (1993), is presented here as an abandoned workstation. The spring-mounted chairs respond gently to the user’s movements. Each piece in the set features subtle shifts in color and transparency, like fragments of a series designed to endure without repetition. In this setting, the ensemble becomes a site for study — a space for observation, dialogue and transmission.
Pad london, united kingdom
For its first participation in PAD London, Pulp Galerie is proud to present a monographic exhibition dedicated to the work of Gaetano Pesce (1939–2024). A multifaceted artist, Pesce continuously redefined design through a unique vocabulary of experimental materials and eccentric forms, reimagining furniture beyond its traditional function.
A leading figure among bold designers, Gaetano Pesce constantly challenged the standards of globalized aesthetics. His creations awaken our senses and memories — from the voluptuous silhouette of the Up5 chair that evokes the image of the Mamma, to the Greene Street chair, reflecting a balance as fragile as the world itself, or the Nobody’s Perfect series, whose irresistible anthropomorphic forms captivate and intrigue.
Modern Relics
Once preserved within prestigious private collections across the globe, the works of Gaetano Pesce, now on view at PAD London, resurface as rare and significant rediscoveries of the artist’s legacy.
Created in 1996 for the exhibition Le Temps des Questions at the Centre Pompidou, the Sikh Cabinet is a singular piece. Half-buried, the object emerges from compacted earth like a sarcophagus from a bygone era. Made of resin-soaked bandages, its door is weighted by a cast-iron counterweight. Blending functionality and sculpture, the Sikh Cabinet asserts a powerful presence, combining material resistance with symbolic gravity.
The Luigi, O Mi Amate Voi bookcase (1993) feels like the rediscovery of a fragment from the Library of Alexandria. Arranged in a series of painted columns, it conveys architectural rhythm, its hinged panels allowing for dynamic and modular shelving.
With its eight slender legs, resin shell and broad backrest, the Greene Street armchair (1988) borders on sculpture more than seat. Made of reinforced polyester, its surface evokes a stylized mask or breastplate. Set at the heart of an imagined excavation site, it resembles a Greco-Roman armor unearthed from time.
Produced between 1984 and 1993 at the Pratt Institute in New York, the Pratt n.8 chair belongs to an experimental series of nine chairs, each made from a distinct resin formula. Only 34 examples were produced. While all use the same mold, each features unique raised motifs — a face, crucifix, handprint — serving as symbolic and biographical fragments. The Pratt n.8 takes on the aura of an archaeological reliquary, veiling enigmatic clues.
Created in 1986 for the El Liston bar in Japan, the Square lamp combines a translucent resin body with a heavy base. Its surface, marked by the unpredictable effects of its making, casts a soft, colorful glow. Resting on its pedestal, it acts as a quiet beacon within the exhibition space. With its sharp lines and irregular texture, it evokes a luminous artifact unearthed from a buried interior.
Partially embedded in the ground, this colored resin sideboard epitomizes Gaetano Pesce’s experimental approach. From the Nobody’s Perfect series, it was formed using a flexible mold. With its irregular contours and vivid color variations, the sideboard remains fully functional, equipped with sturdy hinges and ample storage space. This relic embraces the aesthetics of chance — a method fully assumed and celebrated by the artist.
The 931 table (1993), accompanied by its six 928 chairs (1993), is presented here as an abandoned workstation. The spring-mounted chairs respond gently to the user’s movements. Each piece in the set features subtle shifts in color and transparency, like fragments of a series designed to endure without repetition. In this setting, the ensemble becomes a site for study — a space for observation, dialogue and transmission.
An Immersive Display
Pulp Galerie, in collaboration with scenographers Cyrille Van Dievoet and Hugo Travaux, unveils its selection within a strikingly original atmosphere. Gaetano Pesce: Modern Relics takes visitors deep into a fictional excavation site in the heart of Mayfair. Between earth, sand and resin, the works of Gaetano Pesce — once hidden in private collections — are revealed through an immersive uchronia. These rare pieces, largely unseen on the market, emerge as true treasures, freshly unearthed from a contemporary archaeological dig.