Gaetano Pesce: The Complete Incoherence
The definitive volume on Gaetano Pesce’s incomparable life and career, as told in the artist-designer’s own words
In a category all his own, Gaetano Pesce is widely considered one of the most important, and elusive, creative figures of the last half century. Bridging numerous key art and design movements, while never belonging to any of them, Pesce’s singular practice has remained steadfastly provocative, defying convention, utility, and good taste.
Glenn Adamson, the acclaimed curator and writer, conducted the wide-ranging interview with Pesce on which this book is based, drawing out new stories and insights, as well as providing an introduction that thoroughly contextualizes Pesce’s unique position in contemporary art and design. As postmodern design has become increasingly desirable, interest in Pesce has grown with renewed exhibition activity and critical attention, and his work has become even more valuable and collectible.
In this long overdue summary co-published with Salon 94, Pesce looks back at his incomparable and wildly inventive career, recounting his life and practice in his own words.
Glenn Adamson is a curator and writer who works at the intersection of craft, design history, and contemporary art. He was previously director of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; head of research at the V&A; and curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. Adamson contributes regularly to Art in America and Frieze, and his many publications include Objects: USA 2020 (Monacelli, 2021) and Fewer Better Things (2018).
By: Glenn Adamson
Published in: June 2023 by The Monacelli Press
Pages: 304
Material: Hardcover
Size: 13"L x 9.5"W x 1.25"D
Expected Ship Date: 7-14 Days.
This Years MAD ball Honoree!
In a career spanning sixty years, guided by a constant drive towards innovation and experimentation, Gaetano Pesce, architect, artist and designer, has created public and private projects in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, in the fields of architecture, interior design, and industrial and exhibition design. Pesce has been awarded diverse prizes, including the prestigious Chrysler Award for Innovation and Design in 1993, Architektur und Wohnen Designer of the Year in 2006, the Lawrence J. Israel award from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 2009, and the GQ global creative award in 2023. Pesce has been the subject of numerous exhibitions and his work is in the permanent collections of MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Museum in Germany, and other major museums worldwide. Collaborators include Cassina, B&B Italia, Bernini, Venini, Swarovski, Meritalia, and Zerodisegno.