Harry Bertoia for Knoll International Bird Chair and Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 38.98 in (99 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 36.23 in (92 cm)Seat Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. newly upholstered.
- Seller Location:The Hague, NL
- Reference Number:
Harry Bertoia
Sculptor, furniture and jewelry designer, graphic artist and metalsmith, Harry Bertoia was one of the great cross-disciplinarians of 20th-century art and design and a central figure in American modernism. Among furniture aficionados he is known for the wire-lattice Diamond chair (and its variants such as the tall-backed Bird chair) designed for Knoll Inc. and first released in 1952. As an artist, Bertoia is revered for a style that was his alone. Bertoia’s metal sculptures are by turns expressive and austere, powerful and subtle, intimate in scale and monumental. All embody a tension between the intricacy and precision of Bertoia’s forms and the raw strength of his materials: steel, brass, bronze and copper.
Fortune seemed to guide Bertoia’s artistic development. Born in northeastern Italy, Bertoia immigrated to the United States at age 15, joining an older brother in Detroit. He studied drawing and metalworking in the gifted student program at Cass Technical High School. Recognition led to awards that culminated, in 1937, in a teaching scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Bloomfield Hills, one of the great crucibles of modernism in America. There, Bertoia made friendships — with architect Eero Saarinen, designers Charles and Ray Eames and Florence Schust Knoll and others — that shaped the course of his life. He taught metalworking at Cranbrook, and when materials rationing during World War II limited the availability of metals, Bertoia focused on jewelry design. He also experimented with monotype printmaking, and 19 of his earliest efforts were bought by the Guggenheim Museum.
In 1943, he left Cranbrook to work in California with the Eameses, helping them develop their now-famed plywood furniture. (Bertoia received scant credit.) Late in that decade, Florence and Hans Knoll persuaded him to move east and join Knoll Inc. His chairs became, and remain, perennial bestsellers. Royalties allowed Bertoia to devote himself full-time to metal sculpture, a medium he began to explore in earnest in 1947.
By the early 1950s Bertoia was receiving commissions for large-scale works from architects — the first came via Saarinen — as he refined his aesthetic vocabulary into two distinct skeins. One comprises his “sounding sculptures” — gongs and “Sonambient” groupings of rods that strike together and chime when touched by hand or by the wind. The other genre encompasses Bertoia’s naturalistic works: abstract sculptures that suggest bushes, flower petals, leaves, dandelions or sprays of grass. As you will see on these pages, Harry Bertoia was truly unique; his art and designs manifest a wholly singular combination of delicacy and strength.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: The Hague, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- BKF Butterfly Chair by Jorge Hardoy-Ferrari for Knoll, 1960s incl. SheepskinBy Knoll, Jorge Ferrari-HardoyLocated in The Hague, NLThis black 'butterfly' chair was designed by Jorge Ferrari Hardoy in 1938 and was produced in the 1970s. It is made from metal frame with canvas and is in a good vintage and original...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mid- Century Modern EMC Møbler Teak Easy Lounge Chair & Ottoman, DenmarkBy EMC FurnitureLocated in The Hague, NLStylish Vintage Danish Modern easy chair and ottoman, designed and manufactured by EMC Møbler, 1960's period Denmark. This comfortable, solid teak chair features the typical midcent...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Fabric
- A. Dolleman Chair for Metz & Co, Netherlands 1950By A. Dolleman, Metz & Co.Located in The Hague, NLA fantastic lounge chair designed by A. Dolleman, manufactured by Metz & Co in the Netherlands around 1950. The chair has a very appealing, minimalist design. The thin black lacquer...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pierre Paulin "Orange Slice" Lounge Chair for Artifort, 1960sBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in The Hague, NLLounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort manufacture, 1960s period, Holland. The model of the chair is called “Orange Slice" and it's a high version of it. The inspiration...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Lounge Chair by Arne Wahl Iversen for Komfort, 1960sBy Komfort, Arne Wahl IversenLocated in The Hague, NLEasy chair designed by Arne Wahl Iversen, manufactured by Komfort Denmark 1960. These chairs have solid teak wooden frames and original light brown upholstery. These organic and dyna...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Teak
- F780 Concorde Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960sBy Pierre PaulinLocated in The Hague, NLThe Concorde or F780 is an iconic easy lounge chair designed by French designer Pierre Paulin for furniture manufacturer Artifort. This iconic chair is named after the French Concorde aircraft which he also designed, this comfortable and minimal chair...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll International Bird Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Houston, TXHarry Bertoia for Knoll International bird chair and ottoman. This iconic lounge chair and ottoman were originally designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952 and manufactured by Knoll Interna...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Bird Chair + Ottoman by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1960s. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item. Wire frame, good for indoor or outdoor use.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll ”BIRD” ChairBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAHarry Bertoia Bird Frame or High Back Diamond. Black metal frame with 4 rubber bushings that let that chair rock slightly. Newer Knoll cover in the last 10-15 years. Cover is very...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Chrome Bird Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 1952By Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLBird chair in chrome. The chair has a beautiful and elegant design with beautiful angles an d details. The chair shows some traces of use, like some rusty spots, which can be polishe...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Bird Lounge Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 1970sBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Izegem, VWV1970s production Bird Chair in black by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. New rubber shockmounts were provided.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Bird Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll InternationalBy Harry BertoiaLocated in Gießen, DEThe „Bird Chair“ is the Lounge Chair version of the Harry Bertoia product family for Knoll International, designed in 1952. Black and white steel construction connected with original...Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel