Born in Venice in 1939, for nearly 50 years, Gaetano Pesce has occupied a unique position in the world of architecture and the art of design. Reconciling mass production with one-of-a-kind pieces, he erased the border between design and contemporary art, reinventing the shape of many buildings and everyday items, while at the same time re-configuring production methods and the use of synthetic materials. He first achieved international renown thanks to the UP armchair, which he designed when he was 29. Ever since, he has divided his time between Milan, Paris and New York, ceaselessly inventing new shapes, uses and materials, for everything from bedside lamps to 15-story buildings.

Based on a year of interviews with Philippe Garnier, this book is presented in the form of an A to Z. With a 100 or so entries, from Adoption to Zebra, via Bauhaus and Silicone, Gaetano Pesce shares his thoughts, describing his career, emotions and memories. He has always had a knack for discussing his own work with panache, intelligence, insolence and humor. This book is the expression of a one-of-a-kind voice.

Fans of design and architecture know Gaetano Pesce well. This alphabetically arranged book of interviews is the longest, deepest and at the same time most accessible text he has ever produced. Over the past few years, there have been several museum and gallery shows of his work in both Rome and Paris. Other projects are currently being planned.

This is one of the first two books in a new collection called Entretiens, that gives contemporary artists an opportunity to express themselves (the other new book: Barthélémy Toguo, with Thierry Clermont).