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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

Harry Bertoia Melt Pressed Bronze Figural Sculpture, 1970s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
A figurative vertical form with two protrusions on top constructed of melt pressed bronze (heated numerous times, squeezed, and shaped. Includes provenance and hand-signed COA from t...
Category

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

Materials

Bronze

Related Items
Harry Bertoia, Monumental Sonambient Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Harry Bertoia, Monumental Sonambient Sculpture, USA, circa 1970's. Inconel on brass plate, comprised of 49 rods in a 7 x 7 layout with cattails, unmarked. Measures H: 81, W: 16, D: 1...
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Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

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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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Modernist Bronze & Wire Kinetic Sculpture. "GRASSES" Garden, after Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist Bronze & Wire Kinetic Sculpture. "GRASSES" after Bertoia, Great little modernist sculpture,, garden,, or interior, Hand crafted. Perfect little accent piece,
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Bronze

1960s Mid Century Modern Abstract Metal "Wall Jewelry" Sculpture Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Peoria, AZ
MAGNIFICENT! BRUTALIST HANDWORKED SCULPTED METAL WALL ART Attributed to Harry Bertoia. INCREDIBLE WELDS, WORKMANSHIP & DESIGN! HUGE! Approximately 42" x 35" and up to 8" Deep...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Iron

Brutalist Abstract Nail Sculpture in the Style of Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
Brutalist Abstract Nail sculpture comprised of hundreds of hand welded flat nails with a rusticated patina. Would be great as a fireplace screen, in a window sil, or on a credenza.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Unique Welded Bronze Sculpture Rare Figurative Form Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Atlanta, GA
A unique bronze sculpture circa 1960s by Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), the celebrated Italian-born American artist, sculptor, and designer. The welded and patinated bronze sculpture is ...
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1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Harry Bertoia Bush Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Georges Mills, NH
Rare patinated bronze bush form, circa 1970 Provenance: Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 1970s; Descended in the family.
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1970s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Copper, Bronze

Harry Bertoia Bush Sculpture
Harry Bertoia Bush Sculpture
H 8.5 in W 11 in D 6 in
Iron Sculpture in style of Harry Bertoia, circa 1960
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Brussels, BE
Iron sculpture inspired by Harry Bertoia, circa 1960.   
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Iron

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 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Brass, Copper

Monumental Harry Bertoia Silver Necklace, Bertoia Catalogue Raisonne D.JE.49
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
WEARABLE ART AN IMPORTANT DESIGN FOR A NECKLACE The necklace is unique and extraordinary. Because of its specific design elements it lays beautifully and comfortably on any body structure. This piece comes from a private collection. Provenance will accompany the piece. It has been authenticated by Val Bertoia and is listed in the Harry Bertoia Foundation Catalogue Raisonne # D.JE.49 having been authenticated as a Harry Bertoia piece. REPLY FROM CHRISTIE'S: "Dear Charles, thank you for contacting Christie's. I am absolutely stunned to see the necklace by Harry Bertoia you have submitted for feedback from us, and I would love to speak with you about the work at your earliest convenience. I am a great fan and a known expert in the work of Harry Bertoia, and I have handled over 600 of his sculptures, jewelry and art over the last 22 years. I have never seen a better piece of his jewelry, and it stands as one of the greatest objects in any category that he made. Michael Jefferson Senior Vice President International Senior Specialist 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. Bertoia had the instincts of an engineer, as the intricacy of the present lot's clasp and the overall construction of this piece demonstrate. Closed, the necklace sits on a table in a surprisingly conical shape, but it is so flexible that it conforms to its wearer from her neck nearly to her shoulders. Each handmade section is riveted to its neighbors, allowing it to adjust to the body while the pendants curve in many directions: one fits the left clavicle so precisely that Bertoia likely tried it on Brigitta Valentiner, who became his wife in 1943. Other pendants face toward or away from each other, bending up or down. Each element has been hammered into multiple curves and worked in Bertoia’s hands. Large jewelry by Bertoia is very rare. A delight to the eye, this necklace no doubt caused a sensation in its day as it might at the 2022 Met Ball in ours, for like all of Harry 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...
Category

1940s American Vintage Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Sterling Silver

Harry Bertoia Gilt Bronze, Brass and Steel Dandelion Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Bertoia's Dandelion form is widely regarded to be the apex of his career. An overwhelming physical presence is balanced by its truly delicate nature. A gilt bronze central sphere is ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Harry Bertoia Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Granite, Brass, Bronze

Kinetic Spray Sculpture Style of Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This stylish and chic stainless steel kinetic sculpture takes its form from the mid 20th century pieces by Harry Bertoia and is a modern interpritaion by D. Larson. Note: Signed a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern 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 Houston, 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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