Gaetano Pesce doesn’t care much for right angles. The eminent Italian architect and designer has created, over the course of his long career, a massive body of work mostly without them. The shapes that scatter the 83-year-old’s workshop are abstract and futuristic.

Pesce’s work is alive and in motion, writhing with energy. His pieces often seem to be telling a joke, or else they ooze comically into space. Recently, the themes that Pesce has been perfecting for years have caught on in the culture.