Bertoia Chairs

The Bertoia Chair series was borne out of an experiment in space and form by the artist and sculptor, Harry Bertoia in 1950's. Bertoia's motivation was to create sculptural pieces that were also functional. Val Bertoia describes the results of his father's experimentation as follows: "The chairs Harry designed were definitely sculptures that contained the human (physical) body comfortably above the floor."

Bertoia experimented with the concept of bending metal rods into functional art pieces and produced a much lauded collection of pieces including:
The Bertoia Diamond Chair, The Bertoia Bird Chair, The Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise, The Bertoia Side Chair and the Bertoia Bar Stool.

The above collection was first produced by Knoll in 1952.

Bertoia Stools enhance even the coolest bars!

Harry Bertoia was born on 10th March 1915 in San Lorenzo, Pordenone, Italy. At the age of 15 he visited his brother in Detroit and decided to stay in the USA. He attended Cass Technical High School, where he discovered the art of making jewelry. He went on to study at the Art School of Detroit Society of Arts (College of Creative Studies) in 1938.

In 1939, he won a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art and it was here that he met Ray and Charles Eames.

His professional life began in his workshop teaching metal work and jewelry design. Due to the scarcity of metal during the war years he focused more on jewlry making during this period.

He married Brigitta Valentiner in 1943 and moved to California to work with Charles and Ray Eames. Amongst other endeavours at that time, they began experimenting with moulded plywood and together with Eerio Saarinen they developed a method for making moulded plywood splints that would later evolve into processes for designing furniture.

Bertoia subsequently split with Eames, preferring to work with metal rather than wood. He established a studio in Pennsylvania in 1950 and began working with Hans and Florence Knoll. It was during this period that he designed the Bertoia Collection.

Initially the pieces, upholstered to varying degrees over a molded lattice of steel rods, were produced manually. Controversy ensued when an action by Herman Miller claimed that the patent for part of the collections design, incorporating two thin wires welded on either side of the mesh seat had been granted to Eames. Herman Miller won the action and the Bertoia collection was re-designed using a thicker, single wire and grinding dow the edge of the seat wirer at a smooth angle.

The Bertoia Diamond Chair was a commercial success and the royalties from the sales enabled Harry Bertoia to focus on sculpture. In 1957 he became a fellow at the Graham Foundation in Chicago. His work explored the relationship between metal and the sounds resulting from its touch or wind passing through the metal sculpture.

Bertoia worked extensively on this project producing 9 albums of the music created by his art, all entitled "Sonambient".

Reference: Wikipedia

The Bertoia Collection was first produced by Knoll in 1952, but what else was happening in the world at that time?

Dwight Eisenhower was elected president of the U.S.A.

Queen Elizabeth II took the throne in the UK

The average wage in the U.S. was $3,850 and the average price of a new home was $9,050.

The first polio vaccine was produced during a year in which 3,300 US citizens died from the illness and 57,000 children were paralyzed by it.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

The first KFC and Holiday Inn opened it's door.

Givenchy launched his first collection in Paris.

Singin' in the Rain hit the movie theatres.

The great American designers Charles and Ray Eames were contemporaries of Harry Bertoia. Bertoia even designed their wedding rings! Although they had a falling out over the years, these designers worked together and doubtless influenced the outstanding results of each others design work.

It is said that the Eames and Bertoia worked together for so long that it is difficult to define the exact "genealogy" of the inspiration for the wire chairs.

The Eames Wire Chair (above) uses similar materials and techniques to those utilised by Bertoia in his collection. The welded metal base, is according to some commentators, reminiscent of the Eifel Tower.

The Eames made the rim of the chair a lighter-gauge wire and doubled it for stability to achieve strength requirements, an organic shape, and cost restraints. They achieved the first American mechanical patent for design for this element of the Wire Chair's design. This patent formed the basis of the litigation initiated by Herman Miller (producer) against Harry Bertoia.

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (below) was created using three curved plywood shells using thin layers of wood veneer. The shells and cushions interlock to form a solid chair.

The chair's low seat is permanently fixed in the recline position - perfect for relaxation.