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.
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Creator: Harry Bertoia
White Wire Side Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1952 Set of 4
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Van Nuys, CA
The Bertoia Side Chair is an icon of mid-century modern design. Bertoia found sublime grace in an industrial material, creating a design that works with every decor, in every room. T...
Category
20th Century Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Original 1953 Harry Bertoia Diamond Chair for H. G. Knoll Products
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Rare early production of the diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
Completely original upholstery and black finish. Tagged "H.G. Knoll Products"
A museum piece for the midcentury collec...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Bertoia Vintage Child's Chair With Original Pad Signed ca' 1960 Knoll
By Harry Bertoia
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A Harry Bertoia for Knoll child's chair with original seat pad and Knoll label. A rare find, in matching black color.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
1970s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Black Wire Side Chair
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Harry Bertoia for Knoll Black Side Chair
No label
Black Metal with original vinyl cushion. Visible use and wear.
30 h x 20.75 w x 22.75 d Seat 17.25
Unrestored preowned vintage cond...
Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia Bronze Multi-Plane Cube Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A fine example from this series of work.
The surface of the brass-coated bronze plates show a stunning Patinated irregular surface in rouge reds, gold and
Verdi gris green
Possibl...
Category
1960s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Harry Bertoia "401" coffee table by Knoll International
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Köln, DE
Coffee table "401" by Harry Bertoia, 1952 for KNOLL INTERNATIONAL.
Super rare model, only produced by the german division of KNOLL in the 1950´s.
Teak top, walnut and metal structure...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Set of Four Chrome Dining Chairs by Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Set of matching Bertoia side, or dining, chairs in chrome with original white pad seat covers. This nice set is in very fine, original, clean and ready to use condition, the only cav...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Brussels, BE
Diamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 6 available
Sold par piece 1200€.
Category
1970s European Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Harry Bertoia Early Solid Rosewood Slat Bench1951 First Year Production
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Harry Bertoia early solid rosewood slat bench 1951 first year production, original white painted base, Oil finish.
Retains old label on underside [Knoll...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
2000s Set of Six Harry Bertoia for Knoll Chrome Wire Dining / Side Chairs
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are classic Bertoia side chairs, model 420c, designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. These chairs consist of welded chromed-steel wire seats & backs, and ret...
Category
Early 2000s American Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Pair of Harry Bertoia Wire Barstools for Knoll With Red Pads, Signed
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Add a touch of modern elegance to your home with this exquisite Pair of Harry Bertoia Wire Barstools for Knoll With Red Pads, Signed. Crafted with precision and artistry, these iconi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Set of 7 white coated wire chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1970s
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Antwerpen, VAN
"I began to think in terms of what I would like as a chair. It started very slowly…I came into rod or wire, whether bent of straight. I seemed to find myself at home there”. Produced...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
2010s Pair of Harry Bertoia for Knoll Side Chairs in White Model 420c
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a pair of classic Bertoia side chairs, model 420, originally designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. These particular examples date to the mid-2010’s, an...
Category
2010s American Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Set of 3 Bar Stools - Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Antwerpen, BE
Vintage metal wire bar stools designed by Harry Bertoia. The Bertoia Barstool is part of Harry Bertoia's iconic 1952 wire collection. An astounding study in space, form and function ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
BERTOIA Chairs, Model 420, Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
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 felt cover in grey. The offer includes 4 chairs.
Quality Features:
...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Mid Century Silver Diamond Wire Chairs by Bertoia for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Detroit, MI
This pair of vintage mid century modern diamond wire lounge chairs designed by Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978) for Knoll are circa 1970. Originally designed by Bertoia in 1952, t...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel, Wire
2010s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Bird Lounge Chair & Ottoman in Black, 2x Available
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an original Bird lounge chair and coordinating ottoman, Models 423LU/424YU, initially designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll in 1952. These examples of the chairs were produced ...
Category
2010s American Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Brussels, BE
Diamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 6 available
Sold par piece 1250€.
Category
1970s European Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Childs Size Wire Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A staple design from famous designer Harry Bertoia for Knoll. A child’s Size wire side chair. Great for indoor or outdoor use. Your kid will definitely have the coolest chair on the ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Chrome Diamond Chair
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Ferndale, MI
Harry Bertoias concept of woven welded steel wire was to present a chair appearing lighter than air. This is the large diamond chair from his wire ser...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel, Chrome
1980s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Diamond Lounge Chair in White
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a classic Bertoia Diamond Lounge chair, model 421, designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. These particular examples date to the 1980s. The listed price in...
Category
1980s American Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Set of Four Bar Stools by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
Acquired from retired architects estate. Set of four early production bar stools by Harry Bertoia, 1952 for Knoll. The bar stools are constructed of molded fiberglass and iron and ar...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Iron
Harry Bertoia Child's Chair in White with Original Knoll Seat Pad
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
A universally recognized design, this Bertoia child's chair has a white wire seat with a black base and the original turquoise seat pad by Knoll.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal, Wire
Pair of Harry Bertoia for Knoll Associates Wooden Slat & Metal Y-Frame Benches
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of American Mid-Century rectangular benches with a wooden slat seat resting on a Y-Frame black metal base. (HARRY BERTOIA FOR KNOLL ASSOCIATES)(PRICED AS PAIR)
Condition: Good;...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia Framed Monoprint on Rice Paper, USA, 1960s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Bertoia created hundreds if not thousands of one of a kind monoprints in his career, often as working drawings for his sculpture works. He employed a variety of techniques to arrive ...
Category
1960s North American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Paper
Harry Bertoia Early and Rare 'Pre-Production' 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
2021 Harry Bertoia for Knoll Chrome Bar Stool w/ Red Pads Model 428C
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a classic Bertoia bar stool, model 428C, designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. These particular examples date to 2021. The listed price includes one bar ...
Category
2010s American Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Bertoia, Eight White Welded Steel Chairs with Four Red Cushions
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY
This set of eight side chairs & four red cushions are as elegant, strong and functional as when they were manufactured. The colors are bright and the cushions are in very good condition. The chairs will add a touch of class to any setting.
Harry Bertoia's career began in the 1930s as a student at Cranbrook Academy of Art where he re-established the metal-working studio and later became head of the department before the school closed during WWII due to wartime restrictions on materials in 1943. During the war, Bertoia moved to California and is credited with developing new techniques for molding plywood with Charles and Ray Eames also from Cranbrook.
Harry Bertoia is one of the many well-known artists and designers who attended The Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, The school & buildings were designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. It is the country’s top ranked, graduate-only program in architecture, design and fine art. Each year, just 75 students are invited to study and live on the landmark Saarinen-designed campus which features: private studios, state-of-the art workshops, the renowned Cranbrook Art Museum and 300 acres of forests, lakes and streams, all a short drive from the city of Detroit. The focus at Cranbrook is on studio practice in one of ten disciplines including Architecture, 2D and 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media, and Sculpture. The program is anchored by celebrated Artists- and Designers-in-Residence, one for each discipline, all of whom live and practice on campus alongside the graduate students.
Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Artis Lane (the first African-American artist to have her sculpture, "Sojourner Truth," commissioned for the Emancipation Hall in the Capital Visitor Center in Washington DC), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), Paul Evans (Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings), Eugene Caples (small bronze images/abstract), Morris Brose (Bronze Sculptures), Herb Babcock (blown glass), Larry Butcher (mixed media), Lauren Anais Hussey (Abstract), Andrea Eis (film, photography), Lilian Swann Saarinen (Sculpture), Douglas Semivan...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal, Steel
Sedia Diamond, Harry Bertoia, Knoll International, 1970 circa
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Milano, Lombardia
La sedia Diamond di Harry Bertoia è un’icona intramontabile del design moderno, celebrata per la sua eleganza e la sua straordinaria leggerezza visiva. Progettata da Bertoia nel 1952...
Category
1950s American Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoya Multi-Plane Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Multi-plane sculpture by Harry Bertoia made of steel and molten brass.
This was a working model for a large commission installation of ten sculptures ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Brass, Steel
2011 Harry Bertoia for Knoll Chrome Bar Stools with Ivory Fabric Seat Pads
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are Bertoia Bar Stools, originally designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952. These particular examples were produced by Knoll in 2011. The stools are comprised of welded and chromed s...
Category
2010s American Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Large Willow Sculpture by Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Atlanta, GA
Stunning wire sculpture by Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978).
Made of stainless steel in free standing form.
Provenance:
Purchased directly from the artist by the current owner in ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Stainless Steel
Pair of bar stools by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1950s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in PARIS, FR
Pair of bar stools by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1950s. The metal frame is paired with taupe leather seats. The tubular steel base features an open, criss-cross backrest. Light wear co...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia Framed Monoprint on Rice Paper, USA 1960s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
A rare display of 6 Harry Bertoia Monoprints, circa 1960s.
Bertoia created hundreds if not thousands of one of a kind monoprints in his career, often as working drawings for his scul...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Wood, Paper
Early Fiberglass shell and Metal Bertoia Bar Stools, Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early fiberglass shell and metal Bertoia bar stools, Harry Bertoia for Knoll, structurally sound, wear to original black molded fiberglass tops, retain original early KNOLL labels.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
1955, Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, Wide, Large, Chrome, Diamond Chair
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house.
Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach, check last two pictures of this listing or find more details on his family name plus eu, is for sale soon too. :-)
This big chrome diamond chair...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal, Chrome
1950s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Associates Slatted Oak Bench w/ Base, Model 400
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an iconic slatted-oak bench, Model 400, designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by Knoll. It is an early piece, and dates to circa 1952. The bench was constructed using solid ...
Category
1950s American Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Harry Bertoia for Knoll International Wooden Slat & White Metal Bench
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Queens, NY
American Mid-Century rectangular bench with a wooden slat seat resting on two white finished Y-shaped metal legs. (HARRY BERTOIA FOR KNOLL INTERNATIONAL)
Some chipping to finish on ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
3 Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Wire Side Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll Int
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Timeless and fabulous design by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. Set of 3 classic beauties with full leather pads for seats and backs. All labeled and in very good condition wi...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Collectible Monochromatic Harry Bertoia Print
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Fascinating monographic by Harry Bertoia having surrealistic style probably influenced by Odilon Redon and Paul Klee. Handsomely matted and framed.
Category
1970s American Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Paper
Harry Bertoia, Bench Model 400
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Firenze, IT
Harry Bertoia Bench Model 400
Bench model 400 designed by Harry Bertoia, metal legs and wooden slatted seat.
Manufactured by Knoll International, USA, late 1950s
Bibliography:
S. Ro...
Category
1950s Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Authentic Bird Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, USA, 1960s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Deland, FL
Designed by Bertoia as part of his 1952 collection for Knoll, the Bird Chair’s sculptural form, distinctive silhouette, and graceful manipulation of material have made it an importan...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Early Children's Side Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll in White Enamel, Pair
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Stamford, CT
Harry Bertoia, renowned primarily as a sculptor, was approached by Florence Knoll with a simple request: if he discovered an interesting design motif in his artistic process, he shou...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal, Enamel
Early Pair Harry Bertoia Molded Fiberglass Shell Side Chairs for Knoll, Labeled
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Buffalo, NY
Matched Pair molded fiberglass shell side chairs designed by Harry Bertoia and manufactured by Knoll. Originally debuted in 1960, this very early set is from 1966 ,Classic modernist ...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Iron
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
1 Knoll Bertoia Early Version Diamond Lounge Chair
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Pasadena, TX
Harry Bertoia
Italian 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 head of the department, from 1939 until 1943 until it was closed due to wartime restrictions on materials. Bertoia designed the patented Diamond chair for Knoll in 1952.
Knoll Bertoia diamond lounge...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Brutalist Welded Nails Sculpture by Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Abstract Brutalist Nails Sculpture by Harry Bertoia, circa 1950s.
Category
1950s American Brutalist Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia Mid-Century Modern Vintage Four White Dining Chairs, 1950s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Vienna, AT
Bertoia Mid-Century Modern vintage set of 4 dining chair or side chair, which show a white coated metal construction.
This iconic design by Harry Bertoia was designed in the 1950s an...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
Harry Bertoia for Knoll 'Bird' Lounge Chair with Ottoman in Welded Steel
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 'bird' easy chair with ottoman, lacquered welded steel, United States, design 1952, later production
This Bird armchair with ottoman is a design by Harry Be...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Harry Bertoia Baby Size Child Chairs - a Pair
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage pair of wire child chairs designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. This iconic chair was originally issued in three sizes. As the smallest size was never reissued, the miniatures...
Category
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal
c. 1960-70 Set of 4 Bertoia Chromed Steel Chairs by Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1960-70 set of 4 Bertoia chromed steel chairs by Knoll. With original winter seat covers. Designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Very good condition commensurate with 60-...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel
Harry Bertoia Monotype on rice paper "1880", Signed
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Lynn, MA
Harry Bertoia monoprint on rice paper titled "1880" on the lower right and initialed lower left corner. Float mounted and framed in oil walnut under acrylic. A great one of a kind pr...
Category
20th Century American Other Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Mid-Century Large Knoll Diamond Bertoia Lounge - Single
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Raleigh, NC
1960’s Large Knoll Diamond bertoia lounge designed by Harry Bertoia. Very comfy with rubber pads allowing this lounge to flex for comfort. Bertoia ...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Harry Bertoia monoprint
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
After an intense day of casting and welding mid-century artist Harry Bertoia (American, born Italian. 1915-1978) would unwind by creating one-of-a-kind prints, laying rice paper on a...
Category
1960s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Paper
Unique Welded and Patinated Bronze Sculpture by Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Atlanta, GA
A unique bronze sculpture displayed on a granite stone base circa 1973 by Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), the celebrated Italian-born American artist, sculptor, and designer. The welded a...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Rare Harry Bertoia Sterling Silver Brooch "Ginko Leaves" ca. 1940s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
An extremely rare Harry Bertoia sterling silver brooch "Ginko Leaves." The brooch has been added to the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné and assigned the following catalogue raisonné number: D.JE.77. This piece comes from a private collection. Provenance will accompany the piece. The Brooch measures: 2.94 " long x 1.5 " wide x .30 " deep.
Although associated with Mid-Century Modern furniture, Harry Bertoia was originally a jewelry designer who used both sterling silver, precious stones and gem stones. The brooch and closure are all handcrafted and the clasp is his unique design.
The following is from Beverly H. Twitchell, PhD, author of Bertoia: The Metalworker, London: Phaidon, 2019. She provides a very informative critique of Bertoia and his jewelry.
Wearable Art an Important Design for a Necklace
“Before Harry Bertoia enrolled at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1937 he had already mastered traditional jewelers’ techniques, but his engagement with Modernism led him to invent and use more direct methods. Instead of precious metals and gems, Bertoia made jewelry that appealed through its design, craftsmanship and the nature of its materials. That approach would make Bertoia a direct predecessor of the American Studio Crafts movement.
So complex and cumulative are human perception and memory that we often do not know from where our own ideas come and without firm evidence, it is impossible to think we can establish the origins of an artist’s ideas. While his jewelry is entirely modern, chokers with multiple small pendants had come from ancient Mediterranean cultures: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Italy, even from Europe and America at the turn of the last century. Did Bertoia see works in books, journals or at the Detroit Institute of Arts that resonated with him or did he invent this on his own, as he would so many other forms?
Bertoia found inspiration in nature from an early age on a small farm in Italy and later in Cranbrook’s woods, on the beaches of southern California and in the fields near his home in eastern Pennsylvania where he lived after 1950. The fluidity and motion of the his jewelry characterize much of his art. In that spirit, too, he made jewelry that suited human anatomy and was animated by its wearer’s movement. Bertoia had the instincts of an engineer, as the intricacy of the present lot’s clasp and overall construction of the jewelry demonstrates. Large jewelry by Bertoia is very rare. A delight to the eye, and like all of Bertoia’s work it is timeless.”
Harry Bertoia (1915 – 1978) was an Italian-born American artist, jewelry creator and modern furniture designer. He was born in San Lorenzo d-Arzene, Pordenone, Italy. At age 15 he moved to Detroit, Michigan to live with his older brother, Oreste. He quickly learned English and the bus schedule and enrolled in Cass Tech High School in Detroit (1930-1936) where he studied art and design and learned the skill of handmade jewelry making. At that time, there were three jewelry and metals teachers Louise...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
Harry Bertoia monotype
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Monotype by Harry Bertoia, initialed and numbered 1860 on rice paper set mounted in oiled walnut frame. From the Bertoia Family collection. A beautiful rendering of his sculptures id...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Paper
Mid Century Silver Diamond Wire Chair by Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Detroit, MI
This vintage mid century modern diamond wire lounge chair designed by Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978) for Knoll is circa 1970. The chair has welded steel rod construction and thi...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Furniture
Materials
Steel, Wire
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.
Creators Similar to Harry Bertoia
Questions About Harry Bertoia Furniture
- When was the Diamond Chair made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Italian-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, 2022Whether 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.
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