Bertoia

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) was a sculptor, jeweller, and furniture designer who studied and taught metalwork at Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1946 he went to California to assist Charles Eames on bending and laminating plywood, contributions that were substantial but rarely credited. Florence and Hans Knoll, familiar with Bertoia's work from Cranbrook, later invited him to set up a metal workshop at Knoll's production facility with a single brief: experiment in whatever material he chose.

He chose wire. The Bertoia Collection, introduced in 1952, is the result. The Diamond Chair uses welded steel rod in an open basket form that functions as sculpture as much as seating. The seat pad sits separately inside the wire shell, leaving the frame visible from every angle. The collection extends to the Bird Chair, Side Chair, Bench, Barstool, and Asymmetric Chaise. The Asymmetric Lounge, based on Bertoia's original experiments that had never reached production, was introduced by Knoll in 2005. Frame finishes include polished chrome and black.

Bertoia spent the rest of his life on sculpture, sound installations, and large-scale architectural work, including an altar screen for the MIT Chapel designed by Eero Saarinen. Richard Schultz, who later designed the 1966 outdoor collection for Knoll, joined Knoll specifically to assist Bertoia on production of the wire chairs.

The Bertoia Collection is available in Canada at GRShop with upholstery grades including fabric and leather. See also: Saarinen Collection, Knoll Classics.