Iconic Designer Harry Bertoia And The Timeless Bertoia Chairs

Famous for his collection of Bertoia Chairs, Harry Bertoia started his life on 10th March 1915 in San Lorenzo, Pordenone, Italy. When he was fifteen years old he went to Detroit to see his brother. His decision to stay in the USA, was to be life changing. He found an interest for jewelry making, when he attended Cass Technical High School. He went on to study at the Art School of Detroit Society of Arts (College of Creative Studies) in 1938. He won a scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1939. This is where he met Ray and Charles Eames for the first time.

His professional life commenced in his workshop teaching metal work and jewelry design. Metal was scarce during the war years and it was for this quite practical reason that he focused on jewelry making at that time.

He met his wife Brigitta Valentier in the 1940's and they moved to California to work with the Eames'. They worked on numerous projects at the time, including a project with Eerio Saarinen which resulted in a method for creating moulded plywood splints. This project resulted in a process for designing furniture.

The pieces were upholstered, in the beginning, and molded over lattice steel rods and were produced manually. There was some dispute, with Herman Miller taking an action which claimed that the patent for integrating two thin wires welded on both sides of a mesh seat, was granted to Eames. Bertoia redesigned his collection using a single thick wire when Herman Miller won the case.

The Diamond Lounge Chair was a commercial success and the Bertoia Chair Collection was born. This collection includes: the Bertoia Diamond Chair, the Bird Chair, the Bertoia Side Chair, the Bertoia Bar Stool and the Asymmetric Chaise. Bertoia's ambition of producing functional art pieces by bending metal rods, resulted in a collection of designer chairs that have achieved iconic status and much praise from the global design fraternity. His chairs were first manufactured by Knoll in 1952. That they continue production to-day just shows that the designs are really timeless. He became a fellow at the Graham Foundation in Chicago in 1957. During this time, his work focused on the relationship between sound and metal and in particular the sounds produced by touching the metal or wind passing through it.

The American Institute of Architects recognised the design genius of Harry Bertoia. His collection of modern chairs, designed in the 1950's form an important part of his legacy, so far immortalising his name.

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