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Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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
Harry Bertoia Bush Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
"Untitled" (Bush) Sculpture by Harry Bertoia, circa 1970's made of welded bronze. Harry Bertoia, was an Italian-born American artist, sound art sculptor, an...
Category

1970s American Brutalist Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Related Items
Large 9 Rod Sonambient Sculpture in the Style of Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Culver City, CA
Picture this: a tall, elegant sculpture that pays homage to the legendary Harry Bertoia but with its own twist. While Bertoia's original sonambient sculptures are famous for their de...
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1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Steel

Sonambient Cattails Sound Sculpture in the Manner of Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Vintage Sonambient cattails sound sculpture in the manner of Harry Bertoia circa 1970. It is in great vintage condition with patina throughout, four rows of four copper colored sound...
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Val Bertoia Corner Sound Sculpture, 2008
By Harry Bertoia, Val Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary artist Val Bertoia's Corner Sound Sculpture made in 2008 is part of the Bertoia Sonambient series. It's made of 11 copper tops silvered to monel rods then silvered to a ...
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21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Harry Bertoria 1960 square sculpture in gilt bronze and black base
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Bronze sculpture Harry Bertoia 1960.
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1960s American Brutalist Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Harry Bertoia Gold Plated Bronze Diagonal Double Tonal Sonambient Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in St. Louis, MO
Sculptor and Artist Harry Bertoia gold plated bronze Sonambient sculpture, diagonal double tonal, circa 1965. Two groupings of thin rods at different angles on poured slab of bronze. Purchased from estate of the original owner. Sold with a “Certificate of Authenticity” from the Harry Bertoia foundation, along with a copy of the Knoll letter...
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1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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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...
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Harry Bertoia Style Monumental Steel Fan Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Queens, NY
Harry Bertoia style monumental steel spray sculpture. Steel rods splayed in fan shape mounted on a wooden square base.
Category

Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Harry Bertoia Steel Wire Sculpture 1975
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Chicago, IL
Harry Bertoia Steel Wire Sculpture 1975 unique Table Top piece Steel wires intricately welded with stainless steel rod and base. The work has been added to the Harry Bertoia Catalogu...
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1970s Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Cut Steel, Stainless Steel

Vintage Harry Bertoia Style Spray Sculture Chrome
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A Harry Bertoia style spray sculpture consisting of a chrome weighted base and a spray of light chrome wire kinetic strands suspended above. The li...
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1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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Chrome

Mid Century Modern Wire Spray Table Sculpture style of Harry Bertoia 1970s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Troy, MI
Vintage wire spray table sculpture in the manner of Harry Bertoia circa 1970s Executed in fine steel wires with fluid kinetic movement on a rare black marble base Unmarked 29 inch...
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Steel

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 Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Sterling Silver

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 Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel

Previously Available Items
Harry Bertoia Bronze 1970's 2 Eye Flat-Head Figural Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Original miniature melt pressed bronze sculpture by Harry Bertoia of a 2 eyed figure, with certificate of authenticity from Val Bertoia. Unsigned.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Harry Bertoia Bronze Bush Form Sculpture, USA 1960s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
An outstanding example of Bertoia's greatly desired Bush form sculptures. The undulating form is consistent with his skill at creating organic forms and his love of nature.
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Large Harry Bertoia Bush Form, 1966
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Amarillo, TX
Harry Bertoia bush form, USA, circa 1966. Copper and bronze with applied patina, Measures: 17 H x 24 W x 16.5 D inches. Base: 8.25 x 8.25 inc...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Copper

Large Harry Bertoia Bush Form, 1966
Large Harry Bertoia Bush Form, 1966
H 17 in W 24 in D 16.5 in

Harry Bertoia figurative sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Harry Bertoia figurative sculptures are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original figurative sculptures by Harry Bertoia were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider figurative sculptures by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Jaru, and Curtis Jeré. Prices for Harry Bertoia figurative sculptures can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $8,000 and can go as high as $190,575, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $99,288.
Questions About Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures
  • 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.

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