Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 45 in (114.3 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1975
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original Cover is pretty clean with soft foam!
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU843033487482
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 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: Philadelphia, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll ”BIRD” ChairBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated 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
- Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chair and Ottoman with New Knoll Cover!By Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Philadelphia, PAHarry Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chair and Ottoman. Ottoman measures 23.5 x 16.5 and 14.5" tall. New Cover in a Knoll Fabric. On close inspection fabric is woven of threads of r...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Philadelphia, PAEero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and ottoman. Probably one of the most comfortable chairs ever created! This chair and ottoman d...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- BKF Hardoy for Knoll Butterfly Chair with New Cowhide SlingBy Bonet, Kurchan, and Hardoy, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAHardoy for Knoll Butterfly Chair that date to the mid-60's. New Cowhide Sling gives it a fun look and feel!Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Warren Platner for Knoll Arm Chairs/ PairBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Philadelphia, PAWarren Platner for Knoll Pair of Armchairs. In like new condition! Chairs are not even 2 years old! Beautiful chairs in great condition! 1966 Design that still looks current! Ni...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsNickel
- Saarinen for Knoll Executive Side/ Dining ChairsBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PASet of 8 Eero Saarinen Side Dining Chairs for Knoll. This set dates to 2009. Red velvet material in very nice condition! Chrome is clean as well! Chair ready to go! One of the most comfortable chairs out there! I use these around my dining table!Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Chrome Diamond ChairBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Ferndale, MIHarry Bertoias concept of woven welded steel wire was to present a chair appearing lighter than air. This is the large diamond chair from his wire ser...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Pair of Large Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated 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
- 1955, Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, Wide, Large, Chrome, Diamond ChairBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beac...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Harry Bertoia "Diamond" Lounge Chair for Knoll, USA, 1980sBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Hellouw, NLA diamond lounge chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll with Kvadrat Fabric from the USA. This chair is probably produced in the 1980s and has a black frame with a fully covered seating ar...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1960s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chairs w/ Original White CoversBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a rare pair of large diamond lounge chairs, designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by knoll circa mid 1960s. These are notable in that they retain their original 320 park ave...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Harry Bertoia for Knoll Vintage Bird Lounge ChairBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Saint Louis, USHarry Bertoia for Knoll International bird chair. This iconic lounge chair and ottoman were originally designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952 and manufactured by Knoll International. Each...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal