The B&B Italia Up turns 50 years old
The historic Up series was produced for the first time in 1969 by C&B (Cassina & Businelli) today , to be put back into production in 2000. The Up5 together with its pouf (Up6), was conceived by Gaetano Pesce as a symbol of "woman with the ball at feet". According to Pesce’s view, this armchair that offers comfort and convenience together with his pouf represents the woman in that historical period, that is a "woman with the ball at feet", a prisoner of herself.
Throughout the times, the iconic armchair also takes on the function of an art object and becomes part of the collections of many museums, such as the MoMa in New York, the Triennale Design Museum in Milan or the Vitra Design Museum. The meanings attributed to the Up are numerous, from the evocation of the idea of a mother's womb, to the female figure with its sinuous and abundant forms, to the woman understood as a prisoner of herself, of male prejudices, a victim of violence and without universal rights such as equality between men and women. As often happens, it is precisely from the world of art that movements to raise awareness of social issues start.
The Up series consists of 7 seats: Up 1, Up 2, Up 3, Up 4, Up 5_6 and Up J. All of them are inspired by human anatomy, by sinuous and abundant female figures. These seats are made of Bayfit® flexible cold-shaped polyurethane foam. The upholstery, elastic fabric, is available in different colors.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the session and in conjunction with the week of the Salone del Mobile 2019 in Milan, Gaetano Pesce realizes an artistic installation of the Up 8 meters high and pierced by arrows exposed in Piazza Duomo from the name "Maestà sofferente".
B&B Italia, at the Salone del Mobile, also exhibits the Catilina chair, an Italian design evergreen designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena. Alongside these timeless icons, B&B Italia also reveals the absolute novelties of the collaborations with acclaimed designers and architects such as Michael Anastassiades, Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, and Vincent Van Duysen.
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