Harry Bertoia Bird Chair and Ottoman
View Similar Items
Harry Bertoia Bird Chair and Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 35 in (88.9 cm)Depth: 39 in (99.06 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Good structural condition. Some minor lacquer loss on chair. Ottoman has brighter lacquer under the fabric cover - so may have been added to the set at a later date.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU225935599663
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.
- Harry Bertoia Wire Chairs with Original Green Seat Covers, Knoll, USABy Harry BertoiaLocated in London, GBPriced individually. Two remaining. Harry Bertoia for Knoll black wire chairs with original green seat covers. In very good vintage condition. Ships ...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman, Knoll, USA, 1950sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in London, GBAn early production Eero Saarinen womb chair and ottoman, made by Knoll, USA, 1950s. Newly upholstered in luxurious pure Alpaca fabric (brown / grey) with a structure of fibreglass, black enameled steel frames and first edition feet / glides. Fast shipping worldwide. When asked by Florence Knoll to design 'a chair that was like a basket full of cushions - something she could really curl up in', Eero Saarinen produced the Womb chair...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Rare Early Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman, Knoll, USA, 1950sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in London, GBA rare early production Eero Saarinen womb chairsand ottoman, made by Knoll, USA, 1950s. Fibreglass, black enameled steel frames and first edition feet / glides. Newly upholstered i...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Rare Original Djinn Chair and Ottoman by Olivier Mourgue, France, 1960sBy Olivier MourgueLocated in London, GBRare original Djinn chair and ottoman by Olivier Mourgue, France, manufactured by Airborne International, circa 1965. Early edition newly upholstered in high quality wool Lelievre La...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Pair of Pernilla Chairs and Ottoman by Bruno Mathsson, Sweden, 1960sBy Bruno MathssonLocated in London, GBA very rare pair of Pernilla chairs and ottoman by Bruno Mathsson, for Karl Mathsson, Värnamo, Sweden, 1960s. Beech frames and original leather seats. Rarely found in such good con...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Rare Early Pair of Eero Saarinen Womb Chairs and Ottomans, Knoll, USA, 1950sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in London, GBA very rare pair of early production Eero Saarinen womb chairs and ottomans, made by Knoll, USA, 1950s. Fibreglass, black enameled steel frames and first edition feet / glides. Newl...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll International Bird Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in The Hague, NLHarry 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
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 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
$3,880 Sale Price / set20% Off - Bird Chair + Ottoman by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1960s. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item. Wire frame, good for indoor or outdoor use.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$2,200 / set - Harry Bertoia for Knoll ”BIRD” ChairBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAHarry Bertoia Bird Frame or High Back Diamond. Black metal frame with 4 rubber bushings that let that chair rock slightly. Newer Knoll cover in the last 10-15 years. Cover is very...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Early Bird Chair & Ottoman Bouclé by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1970sBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Aachen, NWEarly Bouclé wool edition Bird chair & ottoman by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. The groundbreaking Bird chair was designed in the 50s by Harry Bertoia and made by Knoll. This mid-century classic supports countless positions and offers a comforting oasis of calm. This edition is a very nice fully restored Bouclé...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Harry Bertoia for Knoll Bird Lounge Chair with Ottoman, Labeled, 1960sBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated 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
