Harry Bertoia Wire Chairs for Knoll International, Early Production Set of Six
View Similar Items
Harry Bertoia Wire Chairs for Knoll International, Early Production Set of Six
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Good original vintage condition. Structurally solid. Staining to upholstery and wear to metal commensurate with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1330210997691
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. As an artist, Bertoia 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. There, 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 Cranbrook, 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.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Robert Venturi 'Queen Anne' Chair for Knoll International, C. 1985, SignedBy Knoll, Robert Venturi, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott BrownLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis rare and sought after set of four (4) collectors pieces are called the 'Queen Anne' chairs by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown for Knoll International, circa 1985 and feature a faux olive burl design with tan leather seats. Post-Modern functional art ready to be used as stand-alone collectible sculptures or as chairs. Signed underneath three chairs with Knoll International labels. Please note, the color amongst the 4 chairs are consistent however due to the studio lighting they appear slightly different from chair to chair, this is simply due to the angle and position of the studio photography lights...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLaminate, Plywood
$25,200 Sale Price / set21% Off - Massimo Vignelli for Knoll Intl 'Handkerchief' Chairs, Signed, Set of TwelveBy Knoll, Massimo Vignelli, Massimo and Lella VignelliLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis classic Post-Modern design by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Knoll International is called the 'Handkerchief' stacking chair, labelled underneath with early production (original...Category
1990s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$4,000 Sale Price / set33% Off - Massimo Vignelli for Knoll Intl 'Handkerchief' Stacking Chairs, Signed, 20 AvailBy Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Knoll, Massimo VignelliLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis classic Post-Modern design by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Knoll International is called the 'Handkerchief' stacking chair, labelled underneath with early production (original...Category
1990s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$360 Sale Price / item34% Off - Set of Ten Early 'Zig Zag' Chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1973, SignedBy Cassina, Gerrit RietveldLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis set of ten early year 'Zig Zag' chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina are the holy grail of collectors pieces. Extremely rare and coveted, original 'Zig Zag' chairs are a part o...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian De Stijl Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
$42,300 Sale Price / set23% Off - Set of 8 Teak and Bouclé Dining Chairs by Arne Vodder for Sibast, 1960s, SignedBy Sibast, Arne VodderLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis gorgeous set of 8 dining chairs by Arne Norrell for Sibast (1960s Denmark) features gorgeous teak frames with Nakashima-styled slatted spindle backs and newly reupholstered whit...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Teak
$7,040 Sale Price / set20% Off - Set of Four Klismos Chairs in the Style of T.H. Robsjohn GibbingsLocated in Los Angeles, CAA set of four Klismos chairs in the style of T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings featuring off-white wood frames with leather strap seats. These Klismos chairs would work great in a Mid-Century Modern, Scandanavian Modern or Danish Modern home or penthouse apartment but could also look fantastic in a Contemporary or Post-Modern room. Also consider mixing it up in a Traditional, Transitional, Classical or Art Deco room with a splash of juxtaposition. Would also be an apt choice in a commercial project such as a hotel lobby lounge or members club, creative design studio or high-rise executive office. Consider using as side chairs, dining, cafe or breakfast table chairs...Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- 1952, Harrie Bertoia for Knoll International a Set of Wire Dining ChairsBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Early Set of Four Harry Bertoia Molded Shell Side Chairs for Knoll, LabeledBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Chesterfield, NJSet 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
MaterialsMetal
$3,000 Sale Price / set33% Off - 3 Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Wire Side Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll IntBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Port Jervis, NYTimeless 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
MaterialsSteel
- 2000s Set of Six Harry Bertoia for Knoll Chrome Wire Dining / Side ChairsBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Philadelphia, PAThese are classic Bertoia side chairs, model 420c, designed in 1952 by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. These chairs consist of welded chromed-steel wire seats & backs, and ret...Category
Early 2000s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of Four Chrome Dining Chairs by Bertoia for KnollBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in New York, NYSet 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
MaterialsChrome
- 1960s "421" Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Shepperton, SurreyAn early 1960s "421" Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International. Two are available. Harry Bertoia's striking 421 chair is welded from steel rods and coated in Rilsan p...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel