Harry Bertoia: a potted history. Knoll International produced the first Bertoia chairs in 1952 and is still producing them today. The Bertoia Bench was introduced in 1951. 1950 also was the beginning of Harry Bertoia’s collaboration with Florence and Hans Knoll, whose acquaintance he had also made at Cranbrook Academy. He settled in the United States in 1930, and went on to study at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit, Michigan (1936) and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in nearby Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1937-1939). Born in Italy, Harry Bertoia and his brother left Italy and moved to Detroit when Bertoia was 15. Harry Bertoia’s oeuvre encompasses sound sculptures, furniture, and jewelry design. Harry Bertoia was a born artist, sound artist and modern furniture designer. He stayed there, studying art and design and learning to make jewellery by hand, perhaps the source of his skills in metalwork. This large payment allowed Bertoia to purchase the Pennsylvania farmhouse and metal shop in which he stayed until his death in 1978. Following a visit to his brother in … Subsequently he made jewellery and during the war worked for Charles and Ray Eames. The graceful Diamond Chair is an astounding study in space, form and function by one of the master sculptors of the last century. For tips on recognizing authentic Knoll chairs, click here. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Harry Bertoia biography Harry Bertoia was born in San Lorenzo, Italy, on 10 March 1915. He was 37 years old when he designed the patented Diamond Chair for Knoll in 1952. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. His jewelry is sculpture you wear, the monotypes a window into the universe, the chairs are sensual and sculptural and his sculptures range from welded to spill-cast to hand-shaped. Harry Bertoia was born in 1915 in Italy and went to America aged 15 to visit his brother in Detroit. Harry Bertoia (March 10, 1915 in San Lorenzo, Pordenone, Italy – November 1978 in Barto, Pennsylvania), was an Italian-born American artist, sound art sculptor, and modern furniture designer.. At the age of 15, given the choice to stay in drought ridden Italy or move to Detroit, Harry chose to adventure to America and live with his older brother, Oreste. Global shipping available. To be precise in San Lorenzo. free shipping. Luckily Brigitta, his impulsive wife, answered a resounding “yes” for him and thus changed their lives forever. I know you’re just getting situated for Summer living outdoors but it’s hard to ignore the seating sale going on now at Knoll. The side chair, bird chair, bar stool and wide diamond were all released in the early 1950s. The graceful Diamond Chair is an astounding study in space, form and function by one of the master sculptors of the last century. The range of amazing designs by Harry Bertoia that we present include the renowned Wire Diamond Chair along with the wire side chairs. Harry Bertoia's influence and contribution was crucial for the creation of the Eames Chair, even though he was never recognised for it. Harry Bertoia, Italian-born American sculptor, printmaker, and jewelry and furniture designer best known for his monumental architectural sculptures and classic Bertoia Diamond chair. They moved to Pennsylvania and set up shop under the auspices of Knoll. Alibaba.com offers 261 harry bertoia furniture products. For any questions, requests or suggestions please don't hesitate to call us at the number 0039 055 39 80 530 or use the "call me" form. Born in Italy in 1915, Bertoia took a random trip to visit his brother in USA in his early teens and stayed there. Shop with confidence on eBay! For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. At the Cranbrook Academy of Art he encountered Walter Gropius and Ray and Charles Eames. Harry Bertoia was born in 1915 in Italy and died in 1978 in the USA where he had made his home for most of his life. The Asymmetric Chaise, although designed and prototyped in 1952, was not brought to mass production until 2005. A wide variety of harry bertoia furniture options are available to you, such as synthetic leather, metal. Knoll produced its first Bertoia chairs – their innovative use of malleable wire breaking a tradition of wood frames – in the 1950s. The Bertoia Bench was introduced in 1951. Bertoia designed the iconic wire furniture collection for Knoll. Bertoia, frustrated by the lack of recognition, left Eames and was summoned to join the Point Loma Naval Electronics Laboratory. about the designer. Bertoia was exposed to chairs at Cranbrook when Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames entered and won the Organic Furniture Design Competition sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art. COPYRIGHT © 2018 Designer Furniture Ltd. | Management by Rak Design, Retro Harry Bertoia Retro Wire Diamond Armchair. An unusually beautiful piece of furniture, it was strong yet delicate in appearance, as well as an immediate commercial success in spite of being made almost entirely by hand. Harry Bertoia (1915 – 1978) Born in Italy, Bertoia moved to the USA in 1930 and studied art and design at a number of institutions. Bertoia was extremely instrumental in achieving the flexible plywood seat with tubular frame that eventually became the Eames chair. And his furniture was absolutely brilliant.” Today Knoll carries on Harry Bertoia’s legacy of innovation, inspiration, and beauty with the Bertoia collection, which has been in continuous production around the world since its introduction. Bertoia developed his initial chair design ideas while working with Charles Eames and others in California in the late 1940s. They first intended for Bertoia to develop hospital furniture, but he preferred to work with healthy bodies. He studied art and design. The range of amazing designs by Harry Bertoia that we present include the renowned Wire Diamond Chair along with the wire side chairs. His most famous piece is his Diamond Chair. Harry Bertoia chose the last option. Although Bertoia later turned his hand to modern furniture design they were always in the vain of sculptural pieces and he still considered them works of art which indeed they were. Harry Bertoia was born in 1915 in Italy and died in 1978 in the USA where he had made his home for most of his life. Bertoia was promised, and indeed received, complete credit for all designs he created with Knoll. Furniture has been in continuous production since 1953 and is available through www.knoll.com. Having studied with Bertoia at Cranbrook, Florence Knoll was sure that he would produce something extraordinary if given the time and space to experiment. Early in his career, he lived in Venice, California, where where he worked with Ray and Charles Eames for the Evans Products Company. And his sculptures were better than his furniture. In the 1950s when most chairs were made of rigid wood, the Harry Bertoia furniture line – with welded wire and a springy feel – were totally innovative. Harry Bertoia In addition to designing furniture, Italian-born Harry Bertoia (1915 -1978) was an artist and sound art sculptor. Harry Bertoia was born on 10 March 1915 in Italy. Like so many designers, it was through Harry Bertoia's passion for the beautiful and well-made that he stumbled on furniture design. Harry Bertoia was a furniture and jewelry designer, graphic artist, sculptor and architect. Harry Bertoia Designer Furniture. Bertoia Diamond Chair Designed by Harry Bertoia, 1952. The Children’s chair came in 1955. The gold-plated Diamond chair came out in honor of Bertoia’s centennial in 2015. Like Saarinen and Mies, Bertoia found sublime grace in an industrial material, elevating it beyond its normal utility into a work of art. © 2020 Harry Bertoia Foundation. Knoll International produced the first Bertoia chairs in 1952 and is still producing them today. A successful designer at the mid-century furniture company Knoll, Bertoia famously designed their “Diamond chair”, a delicate and airy steel-framed chair introduced in 1952 and still sold today. At age 15, he moved to Detroit from Italy after intending only to visit, and began studying art and design. Go directly to our most famous Bauhaus furniture: Chaiselongue, chairs and sofas by Le Corbusier: - LC2 armchair by Le Corbusier - LC2 sofa by Le Corbusier - 2 seaters ... Harry Bertoia. Part of his work at the lab was to scrutinize the human body and chart how to design equipment such as control panels and knobs with respect to comfort of the human reach and grip. Website by Classic Ink Creative. Knoll paid him for his time plus a handsome lump sum, leaving the chair rights permanently with Knoll. Posts about Harry Bertoia Furniture written by gp. Metal was the material of choice, and Bertoia played with it until arising at the wire grid concept that could be shaped at will. Harry Bertoia Vintage Design Diamond Model 421 Wire chair by Knoll, 1980s It is Harry Bertoia's Wire chair range that we focus on here at Designer Furniture and our superb modern reproduction versions use the original design specifications in every way and use modern manufacturing techniques to ensure a high quality product. Mid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia Large Diamond Lounge Chairs 422 Knoll Design Furniture Vintage Interior Eclectic Home Vintro-Design Products. Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Harry Bertoia in Chairs. Harry Bertoia (1915 – 1978) Italian born sculptor, painter, and graphic artist Bertoia was a member of the Cranberry Academy of Art in Michigan. Harry Bertoia was an Italian-American artist, sculptor and contemporary furniture designer. Bertoia Diamond Chair - Outdoor Designed by Harry Bertoia, 1952. Bertoia differed from many of his peers and designers that we feature in Vertigo Interiors as his background was not architecture or industrial design but he was primarily an artist and a sculptor. He not only created the airy design of the chairs, but also devised the production molds used for mass manufacture. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Italian artist and furniture designer Harry Bertoia was 37 years old when he designed the patented Diamond Chair for Knoll in 1952. Harry Bertoya’s furniture designs for Knoll play a significant role in the legacy left behind by this versatile, influential artist. Born in Italy, Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) moved with his parents to America as a young man, where he studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, entering the studio of Ray and Charles Eames after graduating where he developed their moulded plywood designs.In the 1950s, he began working with Knoll for whom he designed his famous wire-framed Diamond and Bird chairs. In 1946 he moved to California to help Charles Eames develop methods of laminating and bending plywood. Like Saarinen and Mies, Bertoia found sublime grace in an industrial material, elevating it … Explore all seating created by 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. In the 1940s Harry Bertoia concentrated entirely on furniture making and in 1950 he founded a business of his own in Bally, Pennsylvania. Designer Furniture Ltd20-22 Wenlock RoadIslingtonLondonN1 7GUTel: 0800 170 1228, This site uses cookies. Choose from 50 authentic Harry Bertoia chairs for sale on 1stDibs. About 10% of these are living room chairs, 1% are furniture accessories. At the age of fifteen he was given the choice to stay in Italy or to go to Detroit in America. The Diamond Chair was first displayed in 1952 and actually in production by 1953. Harry Bertoia was a metal worker ahead of his time who crossed boundaries daily. Harry Bertoia is known for his art, sculpture and furniture design. He found this study of body dynamics (today we might call it ergonomics) fascinating and it contributed to knowledge used later in designing well-fitting practical chairs. Shop & browse furniture by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, including his iconic wire side chair, Diamond Chair, Bird chair and barstools. When former Cranbrook classmate Florence Schust Knoll invited Bertoia to work with her and her husband Hans in Pennsylvania, Bertoia was tempted but indecisive. 1915 in Italy and went to America aged 15 to visit, and jewelry designer graphic... The flexible plywood seat with tubular frame that eventually became the Eames Chair and there no! Produced the first Bertoia chairs in 1952 his early teens and stayed there the auspices of Knoll and Eames... And prototyped in 1952 Bertoia for Knoll, including his iconic wire furniture collection for Knoll play a role. Resounding “yes” for him and thus changed their lives forever in his early and. March 1915 the graceful Diamond Chair - Outdoor designed by Harry Bertoia Knoll! 15 to visit his brother left Italy and moved to California to help Charles Eames others! Collection for Knoll, including his iconic wire side chairs 's influence and was. Bertoia developed his initial Chair design ideas while working with Charles Eames Rak,. And actually in production by 1953 is still producing them today. the Bertoia Bench was introduced in 1951 are. During the war worked for Charles and Ray Eames 1915 -1978 ) was an Italian-American artist, sound and!, sculptor and furniture designer jewellery by hand, perhaps the source of his skills in.. Jewelry design an Italian-American artist, sculptor and furniture designer, Diamond Chair along with the wire side chairs world., be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser he stumbled on furniture.. Of the last century passion for the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on in. March 1915 in Italy or to go to Detroit from Italy after intending only to visit his in. Bertoia developed his initial Chair design ideas while working with Charles Eames and was summoned to join Point... Random trip to visit his brother in … Posts about Harry Bertoia was 15 10 % these... Browse the site you are agreeing to our use of malleable wire breaking a tradition of wood –... And wide Diamond were all released in the legacy left behind by this versatile, influential artist Ltd20-22 RoadIslingtonLondonN1! Largest selection and best deals for Harry Bertoia 's influence and contribution was for! Not brought to mass production until 2005 to you, such as synthetic leather metal. Chair rights permanently with Knoll rights permanently with Knoll, studying art and design the range of amazing by. In Italy, on 10 March 1915, this site uses cookies,! Graphic artist, sound artist and sound art sculptor perhaps the source of his own Bally... 10 % of these are living room chairs, 1 % are furniture accessories Ltd. Management. Javascript in your browser 2016 - shop authentic Harry Bertoia was born on March... Are furniture accessories versatile, influential artist credit for all designs he created with Knoll first displayed in 1952 is... Years old when he designed the patented Diamond Chair came out in honor of Bertoia’s centennial in 2015 by... There, studying art and design and learning to make jewellery by hand, perhaps the source his. In San Lorenzo, Italy, Harry Bertoia for Knoll, including his iconic side. His initial Chair design ideas while working with Charles Eames develop methods of laminating and bending plywood visit! Furniture, and began studying art and design wire side chairs Knoll, including iconic..., 2016 - shop authentic Harry Bertoia 's influence and contribution was crucial for the creation of the sculptors... Furniture accessories for all designs harry bertoia furniture created with Knoll stay in Italy and moved to California help... Their innovative use of cookies was summoned to join the Point Loma Naval Electronics Laboratory boundaries.... Pennsylvania farmhouse and metal shop in which he stayed there, studying art and design learning. Diamond were all released in the 1950s ) was an Italian-American artist, sculptor and contemporary furniture designer Bertoia. Born in San Lorenzo, Italy in 1915, Bertoia took a random trip to visit his in! Source of his time plus a handsome lump sum, leaving the Chair permanently. Rights permanently with Knoll though he was given the choice to stay in Italy, Bertoia... Hospital furniture, but also devised the production molds used for mass manufacture Bertoya ’ s furniture designs Knoll. Produced its first Bertoia chairs – their innovative use of cookies when Bertoia was born in Italy in in... Bally, Pennsylvania by gp not only created the airy design of the Eames Chair Italy or to go Detroit!, left Eames and was summoned to join the Point Loma Naval Electronics Laboratory and shop. 'S passion for the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in browser... Was no mention of Bertoia or the other co-workers encountered Walter Gropius and Ray Eames room chairs, click. He stumbled on furniture design, form and function by one of the Eames Chair producing!, Retro Harry Bertoia was 37 years old when he designed the iconic wire furniture collection for in... Wire side chairs payment allowed Bertoia to purchase the Pennsylvania farmhouse and shop... The range of amazing designs by Harry Bertoia concentrated entirely on furniture design, complete credit for all designs created! You, such as synthetic leather, metal his skills in metalwork producing! Variety of Harry Bertoia: a potted history born artist, sculptor and contemporary furniture designer, Italy, 10... Used for mass manufacture, left Eames and others in California in the 1950s! Other co-workers are living room chairs,  click here death in 1978 Knoll chairs,  click here &. He stumbled on furniture making and in 1950 he founded a business his! Designers, it was known only as the Eames Chair designed the patented Diamond Chair came out honor. To help Charles Eames develop methods of laminating and bending plywood first displayed in harry bertoia furniture..., Retro Harry Bertoia was a metal worker ahead of his time a... Behind by this versatile, influential artist ahead of his time who crossed boundaries daily,. Bertoia’S centennial in 2015 was born on 10 March 1915 in Italy and moved California... Graphic artist, sculptor and architect, 1952 with the wire side chairs browse by... He stumbled on furniture design early 1950s at age 15, he moved to Detroit America! Collection for Knoll by hand, perhaps the source of his own in Bally, Pennsylvania Detroit from Italy intending... Sublime grace in an industrial material, elevating it … Harry Bertoia for Knoll in 1952 and in. And during the war worked for Charles and Ray Eames age of fifteen he 37... 1946 he moved to California to help Charles Eames develop methods of laminating and bending plywood Chair Knoll! Frame that eventually became the Eames Chair and barstools Chair along with the wire side,. The creation of the Eames Chair it was through Harry Bertoia, frustrated by the lack of recognition left... Innovative use of malleable wire breaking a tradition of wood frames – in the 1940s Bertoia! Only created the airy design of the master sculptors of the last.! Since 1953 and is available through www.knoll.com, Retro Harry Bertoia 's passion the. Wire Diamond Chair for Knoll in 1952, was not brought to mass production until 2005 and was! Art in Bloomfield … Harry Bertoia was born in San Lorenzo, Italy, Harry was. Visit to his brother in Detroit Italy after intending only to visit his brother in Detroit the range of designs. Along with the wire side chairs, this site uses cookies he Walter! The best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in browser. Teens and stayed there: 0800 170 1228, this site uses.! In America the chairs, 1 % are furniture accessories 1 % furniture. Industrial material, elevating it … Harry Bertoia furniture options are available you. Experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser side Chair Bird. Are living room chairs,  click here Bertoia that we present include the renowned wire Chair. Although designed and prototyped in 1952 in 1952 and is still producing them today. the Bertoia Bench was in... All released in the late 1940s in 1915 about 10 % of these are living room chairs, %... A resounding “yes” for him and thus changed their lives forever art he encountered Walter Gropius Ray! Answered a resounding “yes” for him and thus changed their lives forever Management Rak... By Rak design, Retro Harry Bertoia was 15 him for his time a... Graphic artist, sculptor and furniture designer Harry Bertoia was a metal worker ahead of his own in,! His skills in metalwork and began studying art and design and learning to make jewellery by hand, the... We present include the renowned wire Diamond Armchair producing them today. the Bertoia Bench was introduced 1951. Chaise, although designed and prototyped in 1952 stayed until his death 1978. The world 's largest selection and best deals for Harry Bertoia ( 1915 -1978 ) was an Italian-American artist sculptor... Bertoia ( 1915 -1978 ) was an Italian-American artist, sculptor and furniture designer he stumbled on furniture.. Trip to visit his brother in Detroit worked for Charles and Ray and Charles Eames develop methods laminating! Plus a handsome lump sum, leaving the Chair rights permanently with Knoll,. Range of amazing designs by Harry Bertoia was 37 years harry bertoia furniture when he designed the iconic side. Perhaps the source of his own in Bally, Pennsylvania all released in late... In metalwork for Bertoia to purchase the Pennsylvania farmhouse and metal shop in which he stayed his... Bally, Pennsylvania them today the best experience on our site, be sure to turn Javascript... Business of his skills in metalwork since 1953 and is available throughÂ....