Harry Bertoia, Bird Armchair and Ottoman, 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 38.98 in (99 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 34.65 in (88 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Saint ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU894525946812
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Saint ouen, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Harry Bertoia, Bird Armchair and Ottoman, 1952By Harry BertoiaLocated in Saint ouen, FRBird Chair" armchair H. Bertoia Armchair with its ottoman First edition Bird chair designed by harry bertoia for knoll in 1952. The structure of the chair is made up of solid st...Category
Vintage 1950s European Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Armchairs in the Style of P. Jeanneret Design, 1950Located in Saint ouen, FRPair of armchairs in the style of P. Jeanneret Design 1950 Rattan - teak - cane Dimensions : H 61 cm x W 61 cm x d 71 cm Ref : circa 1938/10Category
Vintage 1950s Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Armchair, Michael Thonet Wood and Rattan, 1865Located in Saint ouen, FRArmchair - Michael Thonet Wood and rattan Circa 1865 Very good condition H99xW54,5xD87cm 1900€.Category
Antique 1860s Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Mies van der Rohe, Fauteuil Barcelona et Son Ottoman, 2020By Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Saint ouen, FRMies van der Rohe Barcelona armchair and ottoman, 2020 Knoll signed edition Camel leather / stainless steel Measures: Height: 76 cm Width: 74 cm Depth: 70 cm Perfect new c...Category
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Leather Armchairs Vintage, 1980Located in Saint ouen, FRVintage leather armchairs, 1980 Leather and metal Size: H 102 x L 57 x P 50 cm Seat height 47 cm.Category
Vintage 1980s European Bohemian Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Marcel Breuer, Wassily Armchair, Edition Knoll - Circa 1990By Marcel BreuerLocated in Saint ouen, FRMarcel Breuer- Wassily armchair - Edition Knoll Rare in this limited edition version: luxury black cavallino leather Steel structure / black colt W7...Category
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Vintage Harry Bertoia for Knoll Bird Lounge Chair with Ottoman, Labeled, 1960sBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Stamford, CTVintage Harry Bertoia for Knoll Bird Lounge chair with ottoman, Labeled, 1960s, Original Upholstery Originally designed in 1952, these ergonomic lounge chairs...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Bird Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1960sBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Lasne, BEBlack metal chair by Harry Bertoia. Model: Bird. Seat height: 22 cm. Wear due to time and age of the chair.Category
Vintage 1960s Central American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Harry Bertoia 'Diamond' Armchair in Chromed MetalBy Harry BertoiaLocated in London, GBHarry Bertoia 'Diamond' armchair in chromed metal, circa 1970s. Dimensions: H85 x W83 x D62 cm.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll, Model Bird Armchair with Ottoman, 1970sBy Harry BertoiaLocated in Oostrum-Venray, NLDesign Harry bertoia for Knoll, Model Bird armchair with ottoman, 1970s Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Vogel armchair and ottoman in black lacquered steel ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetallic Thread
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll, Model Bird Armchair with Ottoman, 1980By Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Buffalo, NYDesign Harry bertoia for Knoll, Model Bird armchair with ottoman, 1980, retains original label. Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Vogel armchair and ottoman i...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- 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