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Bertoia Side Chair
Iconic Designs

Bertoia Side Chair

About the Design

When Hans and Florence Knoll invited Italian-American artist Harry Bertoia (1915–78) to move from California to Pennsylvania in 1950 to work with their new design firm, they did not ask him to develop any specific pieces but instead to investigate whatever interested him. That open-ended experimentation led to the 1952 Bertoia Side chair, which was fitted with a fluid metal lattice that gave the seating an ethereal quality. Bertoia considered his collection of chairs created for Knoll Associates to be “mainly made of air, like sculpture,” as he bent steel wire into striking lightweight forms.

While these chairs were innovative in their use of industrial materials, they also had a progressive approach to the ergonomics of seating. Bertoia had previously collaborated with  Charles and Ray Eames on molded plywood chairs — what would become the LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) — yet was miffed by the lack of credit for his work. He went on to take a job in engineering for the human body at the Point Loma Naval Electrical Lab in La Jolla, California, during which he created metal sculptures in his spare time. The opportunity from Knoll, another of his former classmates at the famed Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan — Bertoia met the Eameses and Knoll and later taught metalworking there — gave him the time and space to devote himself to his own ideas independently. And, as with all Knoll designers, he would get named recognition for his designs.

In a garage in Bally, Pennsylvania, he set up his metal shop and developed ideas for the welded steel grids he would use in his seating. At the time, most chairs were constructed from wood; Bertoia saw the potential for graceful and comfortable designs in the strong material of metal. Along with the Bertoia Side chair, he created the Diamond chair with a diamond pattern in its metalwork and the undulating Asymmetric Chaise (which was too complicated to manufacture until 2005), all with the transparent volume that gives his metal furniture a sense of floating.

Although he would shift to making art rather than furniture, Bertoia still worked on a number of sculptural and architectural designs for the Knoll Planning Unit in the years that followed. Knoll, Inc. has produced the Bertoia Side chair since it was introduced, with its durable materials and optional upholstery or seat covers that can be snapped on and off, making it popular for indoor and outdoor seating.

Harry Bertoia Side Chair

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Early Set of Four Harry Bertoia Molded Shell Side Chairs for Knoll, Labeled
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Set of four molded shell side chairs designed by Harry Bertoia and manufactured by Knoll. Originally debuted in 1960, this very early set is from 1963 and...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Original 1960s Set of Six Harry Bertoia Side Chairs with Full Seat Covers
By Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
This gorgeous set was acquired from an original owner who bought the set of six chairs in 1968 from Knoll and I have a copy of the receipts. The chairs are covered in the original re...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal, Steel

Harry Bertoria Chairs metal Knoll 1970 production Model 420
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Harry Bertoria Chairs metal Knoll 1970 production Model 420
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

BERTOIA Chairs, Model 420, Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Neuss, NW
BERTOIA chair, model 420, designed in the 1940s by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Frame made of wire mesh with a new felt cover in grey. The offer includes 4 chairs. Quality Features: ...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Bauhaus Chairs

Materials

Metal

Knoll by Harry Bertoia Black & Green Bertoia Side Dining Chairs, Set of 2
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in London, GB
Originally designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952 his namesake collection has remained in production with Knoll ever since, with the side chair becoming one of the most recognisable furni...
Category

2010s Italian Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric

Harry Bertoia Baby Size Child Chairs - a Pair
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage pair of wire child chairs designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. This iconic chair was originally issued in three sizes. As the smallest size was never reissued, the miniatures...
Category

Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Bertoia, Eight White Welded Steel Chairs with Four Red Cushions
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY This set of eight side chairs & four red cushions are as elegant, strong and functional as when they were manufactured. The colors are bright and the cushions are in very good condition. The chairs will add a touch of class to any setting. Harry Bertoia's career began in the 1930s as a student at Cranbrook Academy of Art where he re-established the metal-working studio and later became head of the department before the school closed during WWII due to wartime restrictions on materials in 1943. During the war, Bertoia moved to California and is credited with developing new techniques for molding plywood with Charles and Ray Eames also from Cranbrook. Harry Bertoia is one of the many well-known artists and designers who attended The Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, The school & buildings were designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. It is the country’s top ranked, graduate-only program in architecture, design and fine art. Each year, just 75 students are invited to study and live on the landmark Saarinen-designed campus which features: private studios, state-of-the art workshops, the renowned Cranbrook Art Museum and 300 acres of forests, lakes and streams, all a short drive from the city of Detroit. The focus at Cranbrook is on studio practice in one of ten disciplines including Architecture, 2D and 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media, and Sculpture. The program is anchored by celebrated Artists- and Designers-in-Residence, one for each discipline, all of whom live and practice on campus alongside the graduate students. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Artis Lane (the first African-American artist to have her sculpture, "Sojourner Truth," commissioned for the Emancipation Hall in the Capital Visitor Center in Washington DC), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), Paul Evans (Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings), Eugene Caples (small bronze images/abstract), Morris Brose (Bronze Sculptures), Herb Babcock (blown glass), Larry Butcher (mixed media), Lauren Anais Hussey (Abstract), Andrea Eis (film, photography), Lilian Swann Saarinen (Sculpture), Douglas Semivan...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal, Steel

Harry Bertoia for Knoll Pair of Outdoor 'Side Chairs' in Black Coated Steel
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, pair of 'side chairs', coated steel, United States, design 1952 These 'side' patio chairs are designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952. Executed in...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture

Materials

Steel

Harry Bertoia side chairs by Knoll with original upholstery, mint 1970's
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Harry Bertoia side chairs by Knoll International, 1978 Two available, price is per chair. With original blue upholstery. Manufacturer's label dated 1978. New internal foam...
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Childs Size Wire Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
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 ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Children's Furniture

Materials

Metal

Chaise Wire Par Harry Bertoia Pour Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Busserolles, FR
La Chaise Wire, conçue par Harry Bertoia pour Knoll, est une œuvre emblématique du design moderne. Réalisée en 1952, cette pièce innovante est composée d'une structure en maille de fils d'acier supportée par de fins pieds métalliques. La fabrication manuelle originale impliquait que chaque fil était soigneusement cintré à la main avant d'être soudé et chromé, mettant en lumière l'approche artisanale de Bertoia dans le design. Harry Bertoia, né en Italie, s'est installé et a étudié l'art et le design aux États-Unis. Après avoir travaillé sur les célèbres chaises Eames, il a créé pour Knoll une collection de sièges en fils d'acier tressé dont la chaise Diamant est l'une des plus reconnues. Les réalisations de Bertoia, notamment la "Diamond chair", la "Bird chair" et la "Barstool chair...
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Pair of Midcentury White Knoll Bertoia Side Chairs, 1950s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Almelo, NL
This pair of Bertoia side chair is composed of delicate steel rods that have been precisely interwoven and welded to create airy, sculptural seats. Despite their delicate filigreed a...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Harry Bertoia Wire Chairs with Original Green Seat Covers, Knoll, USA
By Harry Bertoia
Located in London, GB
Priced individually. Two remaining. Harry Bertoia for Knoll black wire chairs with original green seat covers. In very good vintage condition. Ships ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Harry Bertoia Mid-Century Modern Vintage Set of Four White Dining Chairs, 1950s
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Vienna, AT
A Harry Bertoia Mid-Century Modern vintage set of 4 dining chair or side chair, which show a white coated metal construction. This iconic design by Harry Bertoia was designed in the...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal

Vintage Steel Mesh Side Chair by Harry Bertoia
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Cape Town, WC
Bertoia’s side chair is a definitively iconic expression of mid-century sensibility with a particular emphasis on the relationship between aesthetics and durability. Its silhouette i...
Category

Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

3 Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Wire Side Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll Int
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Timeless and fabulous design by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. Set of 3 classic beauties with full leather pads for seats and backs. All labeled and in very good condition wi...
Category

Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Set of Four Harry Bertoia Designed Child Chairs for Knoll
By Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in San Francisco, CA
Offered here are four Harry Bertoia designed child chair for Knoll. First designed in 1950. All are white.
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Set of Four Chrome Dining Chairs by Bertoia for Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in New York, NY
Set of matching Bertoia side, or dining, chairs in chrome with original white pad seat covers. This nice set is in very fine, original, clean and ready to use condition, the only cav...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Vintage Pair of White Bertoia Side Chairs with Alligator Cushions
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Chicago, IL
Midcentury white powder-coated steel side chairs by Bertoia, with alligator cushions.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Classic Knoll Bertoia a Wire Mesh Side Chair, Early Custom Knoll Fabric Cushion
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic Vintage Modern Industrial HARRY BERTOIA Wire side chair white 1952 Dimensions: 29.5 x 22.25 D x 18 W Amazing original condition, cust...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Pair of Bertoia child's chairs by Knoll
By Harry Bertoia, Knoll
Located in Highland, IN
The classic Bertoia wire chair was produced in the standard size for adults, but also in two smaller sizes for children. This pair is the larger of the two kid's sizes. They were often marketed with the Noguchi cyclone side table as a diminutive version of the dinette set to be used as a child's activity table...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

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Set of 4 Harry Bertoia for Knoll Side Dining Chairs in Black, Model 420C
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Harry  Bertoia  side chairs in chrome  1980s
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Number Available
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Materials
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Styles
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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 C...
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When Hans and Florence Knoll invited Italian-American artist Harry Bertoia (1915–78) to move from California to Pennsylvania in 1950 to work with their new design firm, they did not ask him to develop any specific pieces but instead to investigate whatever interested him. That open-ended experimentation led to the 1952 Bertoia Side chair, which was fitted with a fluid metal lattice that gave the seating an ethereal quality. Bertoia considered his collection of chairs created for Knoll Associa...
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