Pair of Early Bertoia Wide Diamond Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Harry Bertoia (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 28.25 in (71.76 cm)Width: 45 in (114.3 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. some oxidization to underside steel frame that can be cleaned up with steel wool, however, we have left it for visual confirmation that these are NOT replicas or later copies. This are the real deal.
- Seller Location:East Hampton, NY
- Reference Number:
Diamond Chair
To fully understand the design of Harry Bertoia’s (1915–78) 1952 Diamond chair — an austere and photogenic work of woven steel wire, the intricately sculptural wings of which create the illusion of sitting on air — it helps to go back to his college days: In 1937, the Italian-born artist and designer, who emigrated to Detroit at age 15, earned a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art, the illustrious Michigan design school that attracted such luminaries as Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames. Bertoia was deeply influenced by the Eameses, especially by the sculptural quality that was so prominent in the furniture they made. In the 1940s, he left Cranbrook to work for the couple, developing the molded plywood furniture that would become a trademark of their designs.
Bertoia learned to weld while employed by the Eameses, but left their workshop in anger over the lack of credit he received for the important contributions he made there — a dispute that would come to play an important role in the Diamond chair’s development. He eventually took a job at an electronics lab, where he analyzed human mobility for the purpose of designing electronics with easy-to-reach knobs and consoles.
When his former Cranbrook classmate Florence Knoll tapped Bertoia to make furniture for the Pennsylvania company she had recently founded with her husband, Hans, the designer was swayed with the promise of full credit for designs he produced. Armed with a newly minted background in ergonomics as well as the knowledge he gathered from experimentation with the Eameses, Bertoia capably applied what he’d learned over the years at Knoll, where he utilized thin wires of welded metal to produce pieces that appeared to be floating in the wind — yet remained surprisingly comfortable and supportive. The Diamond chair, a widely revered component of the innovative metal furniture line that Bertoia designed at the company, has been in continuous production at Knoll since 1952 and is available in four finishes today.
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 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Miami, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Pair of French Faux Bois Side-chairsLocated in East Hampton, NYThis is a lovely pair of elegant faux bois wood chairs with rounded back in the style of Nina Ditzel. The wood is stripped and bleached to its be...Category
Vintage 1960s French French Provincial Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Rare Early Set of Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller Chairs in ZebrawoodBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in East Hampton, NYA set of 4 of beautifully grained early DCM chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller in a very hard to find zebrawood pressure molded plywood on chr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Studio Art Chairs in Carved WoodLocated in East Hampton, NYThis pair of hand crafted sculptural wood chairs feature 3 legs and extraordinary details to back rest and seat - SEE detail images and video provided. Architecturally wonderful! TH...Category
Vintage 1960s Bulgarian Folk Art Chairs
MaterialsWood
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Slipper Chairs, PairBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in East Hampton, NYClassic pair of slipper chairs designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, circa 1954. The frames are walnut and the chairs have been recently reupholstered in button tufted soft Yves Klein ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Pair of French Campaign-Style Leather Folding Chairs with Faux-Bamboo FramesLocated in East Hampton, NYThese wonderfully authentic pair of French Campaign-Style Leather Folding Chairs with Faux-Bamboo Frames in red and black. Featuring brass caps to feet and finials. Leather is ALL ...Category
Vintage 1950s French Campaign Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Tall Ladderback Architectural Design Chairs, PairLocated in East Hampton, NYExtremely stylish and architectural designed ladder back chairs in a rich ebonized wood.Category
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Pair of Large Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Dallas, TXFabulous, iconic pair of large "Diamond Chairs" by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Black metal frames and yellow upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll Wide White Diamond Chair & Ottoman with Pink UpholsteryBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in St. Louis, MOMid-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
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair Mid Century Harry Bertoia Knoll Diamond ChairsBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Baltimore, MDA beautiful pair of vintage, knoll, metal mid century, Harry Bertoia, Diamond Chairs. Nice early Harry Bertoia Diamond Chairs for Knoll. A vintage iconic pair designed by Harry Bertoia manufactured by Knoll features original yellow, removable, vinyl, covered wool and metal frames. Chairs can be used with or without fabric, manufactured early label, on underside with knoll’s 320 Park Avenue address, which housed their offices from 1961 to 1970. The pair dates to the early 1960’s. The diamond chair is an astounding study in space, form and function by one of the master sculptors of the last century. Harry Bertoia’s wire chairs...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 6 Bertoia for Knoll White Metal "Diamond" ChairsBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Los Angeles, CAHarry Bertoia (Italian/American, 1915-1978) for Knoll "Diamond" chair in newly powder coated white metal with an authentic yellow or grey exterior seat cushions. Design circa 1952. ...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Bertoia Childs Chair for KnollBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in New York, NYClassic midcentury child's chair designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. This example is circa 1960s, it is in good condition, showing only expected cosmetic wear, normal and consistent...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Mid Century Modern Bertoia Large Diamond ChairsBy Harry BertoiaLocated in Tulsa, OKPair of Mid Century Modern Bertoia Large Diamond Chairs Sold individually at $1738 each. Above average vintage condition and structurally...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel