Skip to main content

Harry Bertoia Furniture

American, Italian, 1915-1978

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 mid-century modernism. Among furniture aficionados, Bertoia is known for his chairs such as 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, he 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

At Cranbrook, 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 the school, 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.

Find vintage Harry Bertoia sculptures, armchairs, benches and other furniture and art on 1stDibs.

1
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
126
59
52
24
24
Color:  Pink
Creator: Harry Bertoia
Harry Bertoia for Knoll Wide White Diamond Chair & Ottoman with Pink Upholstery
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in St. Louis, MO
Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia for Knoll wide version diamond chair with ottoman, frames are original white paint an original but faded pink Knoll textile covers. Minor scuffs to f...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Steel

Related Items
Early and Rare 'Pre-Production' Harry Bertoia Small Diamond Chair for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Cincinnati, OH
Early production small diamond chair with a very usual double wire seat configuration, the typical wire structure is in place but an additional larger space...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Wire

Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chair
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Harry Bertoia for Knoll large diamond chair with a green cover. Base is original white. Bushings are in good shape, and overall the cover is pretty clean! ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Metal

Bird Chair + Ottoman by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 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

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Metal

Harry Bertoia “Big Diamond” Chair for Knoll International, USA 1960
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Amsterdam, NL
An impressive lounge chair designed by Harry Bertoia, manufactured by Knoll International in the USA around 1970. This iconic piece is named the “Big Diamond”, after the bent diamon...
Category

1960s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Metal

Bertoia Child's Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Centreville, VA
This scaled-down Diamond Chair brings the playful spirit and organic forms of Harry Bertoia to your child’s playroom. Harry Bertoia’s wire chairs are among the most recognized ac...
Category

Mid-19th Century Mid-Century Modern Antique Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Stainless Steel

Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, Full Cover Plum Knoll Tweed
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Fully restored vintage Bertoia diamond chair by Knoll. (2) Available, sold separately. Our team used the original pattern to recreate a new cover in be...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Stainless Steel

Harry Bertoia Diamond Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, circa 1950's
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Large diamond chrome chair designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll in 1952. The chair and ottoman have the original red fabric cover. Harry Bertoia’s wire chairs...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Chrome

Harry Bertoia White Wire Diamond Lounge Chair for Knoll (A)
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A white plastic coated welded wire diamond lounge chair with a contrasting satin black base and sunflower yellow leatherette seat pad . Manufactured by Knoll International and design...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Steel, Wire

Bertoia Chair, Model 420, Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Neuss, NW
Bertoia chair, model 420, designed in the 1940s by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Frame made of wire mesh with a new seat cover in grey. Quality Features: very good workmanship high...
Category

1940s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Wire

Harry Bertoia for Knoll International Bird Chair and Ottoman
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Houston, TX
Harry 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

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Steel

Harry Bertoia for Knoll ”BIRD” Chair
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Harry 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

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Metal

Harry Bertoia "Diamond" Lounge Chair for Knoll, USA, 1980s
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Hellouw, NL
A diamond lounge chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll with Kvadrat Fabric from the USA. This chair is probably produced in the 1980s and has a black frame with a fully covered seating ar...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Metal

Previously Available Items
Rare Size Knoll Bertoia Slat Bench
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Pasadena, TX
Artist and furniture designer, Harry Bertoia's career began in the 1930s as a student at the Cranbrook Academy of Art where he re-established the metal-working studio and, taught as ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture

Materials

Chrome

Rare Size Knoll Bertoia Slat Bench
Rare Size Knoll Bertoia Slat Bench
H 15.5 in W 84 in D 18.25 in

Harry Bertoia furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Harry Bertoia furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Harry Bertoia furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 188 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 2 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Harry Bertoia were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Charles Eames, Michael Taylor, and Warren Platner. Prices for Harry Bertoia furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $325 and can go as high as $450,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,930.
Questions About Harry Bertoia Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Italian-American designer Harry Bertoia made the Diamond chair in 1952, and his design went into production in 1983. The original chair featured a woven steel wire back with angled wings resting on angled wire legs. Find a collection of Harry Bertoia Diamond chairs on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Whether or not a Harry Bertoia chair is comfortable really comes down to a matter of personal preference, but there are a lot of positive reviews pertaining to how comfortable the Italian-born American designer’s seating is. 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. Shop a selection of Bertoia chairs from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.

Recently Viewed

View All