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.
Sedia Diamond, Harry Bertoia, Knoll International, 1970 circa
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Milano, Lombardia
La sedia Diamond di Harry Bertoia è un’icona intramontabile del design moderno, celebrata per la sua eleganza e la sua straordinaria leggerezza visiva. Progettata da Bertoia nel 1952...
Metal
Diamond lounge chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1970s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Hilversum, NL
The Diamond Chair is an astounding study in space, form, and function by one of the master sculptors of the last century. Like Saarinen and Mies, Bertoia found sublime grace in an in...
Steel
Mid-Century Large Knoll Diamond Bertoia Lounge - Single
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Raleigh, NC
1960’s Large Knoll Diamond bertoia lounge designed by Harry Bertoia. Very comfy with rubber pads allowing this lounge to flex for comfort. Bertoia ...
Metal, Chrome
$1,850
H 30.75 in W 33.24 in D 27.5 in
"Diamond" Chair, Harry Bertoia, Knoll Ready for Re-Upholstery, USA, c. 1960s
By Knoll
Located in Deland, FL
Introducing a rare authentically vintage "Diamond" chair designed by the influential Harry Bertoia for Knoll. First designed in 1952 for Knoll, the diamond chair was by far Bertoia's most famous and recognized design and formed part of his 5-piece wire-made body of work for Knoll called the "Bertoia Collection". The Diamond chair is characterized by a fluid, sculptural form made from a welded lattice work of steel. In Bertoia's own words, "If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like (a) sculpture. Space passes right through them." The chairs were produced with varying degrees of upholstery over their light grid-work, and they were handmade at first because a suitable mass production process could not be found and that's exactly how the upholstery can be re-done for this chair - by hand. Featuring new automotive-grade, single-stage polyurethane paint, this truly iconic chair is ready for re-upholstery a fabric of your choosing. Harry Bertoia was an Italian-born welder, sculpture and designer who after moving to the US in 1930, began studying design at Cranbrook Academy of Art where he met and befriended the likes of Ray Eames and Florence Knoll. In 1950 he began working for Knoll creating, among others, the now iconic "Diamond Chair" and the "Bird Chair". His work has been internationally recognized for it's forward-thinking approach and it's literal bending of both metal and rules set for Modern design and his work is on permanent display across the globe in such museums as France's Musée National d'Art Moderne. Knoll, now MillerKnoll, Inc., is an American company founded in 1938 that manufactures office systems, seating, storage systems, tables, desks, textiles, and accessories for the home, office, and higher education. The company is the licensed manufacturer of furniture designed by architects and designers such as Harry Bertoia, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, Frank Gehry, Charles Gwathmey, Maya Lin, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Lella and Massimo Vignelli. Over 40 Knoll designs, including the "Diamond Chair", can be found in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. With it's iconic warped-screen frame and famous comfort this "Diamond" Chairs is ideal for collectors and designers alike searching for an authentic, vintage Bertoia chair...
Metal
Diamond Chair by Harry BERTOIA, KNOLL INTERNATIONAL
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Original Diamond Chairs, designed by Harry Bertoia. U.S.A., Knoll International, 1970s Early production Diamond chairs in white and black painted metal with rust-orange velvet pads....
Metal
$999
H 23.5 in W 15.75 in D 16.5 in
Bertoia Vintage Child's Chair With Original Pad Signed ca' 1960 Knoll
By Harry Bertoia
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A Harry Bertoia for Knoll child's chair with original seat pad and Knoll label. A rare find, in matching black color.
Steel
Childs Size Wire Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A staple design from famous designer Harry Bertoia for Knoll. A child’s Size wire side chair. Great for indoor or outdoor use. Your kid will definitely have the coolest chair on the ...
Metal
$3,660 / set
H 30 in W 33.5 in D 28 in
Bertoia Diamond Chair by Knoll, Mid-Century Modern, Circa 1970, Pair
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Wilton, CT
The Diamond Chair by Bertoia for Knoll has been among the most iconic design of the Mid-Century Modern period. It is an astounding achievement in furniture design, elevating an Indus...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
$2,400
H 30 in W 33.5 in D 32.5 in
Harry Bertoia Early and Rare 'Pre-Production' Small Diamond Chair for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Cincinnati, OH
Early production small diamond chair with a very usual double wire seat configuration, the typical wire structure is in place but an additional larger space...
Wire
1960s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Diamond Lounge Chair with Seat Pad
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Bertoia Diamond Lounge Chair, originally designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. This particular example dates to the 1960s. The design consists of a bla...
Steel
Cesca Armchair by Marcel Breuer for Knoll, Mid-Century Modern Design
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Centreville, VA
The Cesca Armchair, designed by modernist pioneer Marcel Breuer and produced by Knoll, is an iconic fusion of innovation, craftsmanship, and timeless design. Introduced in 1928, the ...
Steel
La Fonda Arm Chair by Eames, Mid-Century Modern, Circa 1960, USA
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Centreville, VA
This arm chair is one of two new fiberglass chairs Charles and Ray Eames designed in 1961, inspired by request from Alexander Girard, who needed seating for his new Manhattan restaurant, La Fonda Del Sol. Some collectors call these “La Fonda” chairs after the restaurant where they were first installed. Because Girard wanted chairs with seat backs no higher than dining table tops, Charles and Ray Eames designed the Eames La Fonda Arm Chair...
Steel
Cherner Armchair by Norman Cherner, Mid-Century Modern, Circa 1960
By Norman Cherner
Located in Centreville, VA
Found in design collections across the world, the Cherner chair was originally made of walnut faced moulded plywood, using similar techniques to those that Charles and Ray Eames were...
Bentwood
Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair for Herman Miller "Seafoam Green"'
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Centreville, VA
Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair for Herman Miller "Seafoam Green"' Arguably one of the 20th century’s most beloved designs, the Eames Shell chairs remain a sought after design classic nearly 55 years later. The molded fiberglass chairs are the result of Charles and Ray’s 6 years of experimenting with molded plywood to create a single shell form. Unable to successfully create the single shell with molded plywood at the time, Charles & Ray saw an opportunity to fulfill their vision using a new material: fiberglass. Charles Eames famously said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” The Molded Shell Chairs...
Fiberglass
Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair for Herman Miller (Seafoam Green)
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Centreville, VA
Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair for Herman Miller "Seafoam Green"' Arguably one of the 20th century’s most beloved designs, the Eames Shell chairs remain a sought after design clas...
Fiberglass
Mezzadro Stool by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Zanotta
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Centreville, VA
Originally conceived in 1957 for the exhibition “Shapes and Colours in Today’s Homes” at Villa Olmo in Como, the Mezzadro Stool was later brought into production by Zanotta in 1970. ...
Metal
For nearly three decades, San Francisco–based Todd Hosfelt has curated against the grain — with a show on the legendary modernist Harry Bertoia the latest case in point.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
