Harry Bertoia proved his versatile talent at an early age. The Italian-born artist matured into an important sculptor, sound artist and furniture designer in the USA, and his sculptures can now be found in numerous renowned museums and private collections, with his most famous designs still in production.
(...) Continue readingHarry Bertoia - Too big for the provinces: emigration to America
Harry Bertoia was born on 10 March 1915 in the small, rural municipality of Arzene. At that time, Italy was still a monarchy and little Harry was called Arri Bertoia - it was only when he later emigrated to Detroit that he adapted his name to American customs. The artist knew early on how to profit from his talent: he is said to have occasionally saved up the money for a trip to the cinema by drawing deceptively real tickets. When people in his home country became aware of young Arri's skills, young brides came to him to have their linen embroidery patterns designed for their wedding day. The family's meagre financial means initially only allowed him to attend evening classes, but the young artist's drawing teacher soon had to admit that he was unable to encourage Bertoia's talent sufficiently. So, at the age of fifteen, Arri Bertoia followed his older brother Oreste to the USA.
Artistically mature years in Detroit; valuable contacts
Harry Bertoia attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit with the support of his brother, where he also learnt the jeweller's trade. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings and the initial language barrier, the talented artist quickly found his feet and was also able to convince his new environment of his extensive talent. In 1938, he received a scholarship that allowed him to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he came into contact with the renowned architects Edmund Bacon and Walter Gropius and met some important future companions in Ray Eames, Charles Eames and Florence Knoll. Harry Bertoia made the leap from student to lecturer, took over the management of the school's own metal workshop and developed various innovative metalworking techniques. At the height of the Second World War, Bertoia reacted to the war-related metal shortage by turning more to graphic art and specialising in printing technology. Before the end of the war, Harry Bertoia followed his friends Ray and Charles Eames to California.
Bertoia’s legacy: Diamond Chair and sound sculptures
Harry Bertoia developed the Lounge Chair Metal together with Charles and Ray Eames, but when he was rudely ignored when it was presented under the name Eames Chair at the New York Museum of Modern Art, he ended the collaboration and instead accepted the invitation of his former fellow student Florence Knoll, who wished to recruit him as a furniture designer for her husband Hans Knoll's newly founded company. In fact, Harry Bertoia celebrated great success with various pieces of furniture, including the famous Diamond Chair, which is still in production today and has even in the meantime become the subject of a legal dispute. Harry Bertoia's real love, however, was sculpture, to which he devoted himself with great dedication, financed by the sales success of his furniture. He designed various large-scale sculptures for Eero Saarinen, which adorned the latter’s buildings, whilst Bertoia’s interest in music led to a series of sound sculptures made of his favourite material, metal. These were intended to be instruments that could be played by anyone without any background knowledge - the artist documented their sound on several long-playing records under the title Sonambient.
Henry Bertoia died in Barto in the US State of Pennsylvania on 6 November 1978. He had three children with his wife Brigitta Valentiner.
Harry Bertoia - Works that have already been sold at Kunsthaus Lempertz:
