Harry Bertoia

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) was a furniture and jewelry designer, artist, sculptor and architect. He was born in San Lorenzo, Friuli, Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1930 to meet his brother in Detroit, Michigan. He attended a public high school with a special program for talented science and art students. In 1936 he was awarded a scholarship to study painting and drawing at the School of the Detroit Society of Arts. After the year-long program he was awarded another scholarship to teach metalwork at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He concentrated on jewelry making due to the war-time need for metals. While maintaining the metalwork shop, he continued to experiment with producing one-of-a-kind prints and drawings known as monotypes. He sent about 100 prints to the Guggenheim Museum for evaluation and was surprised to learn that Hilla Rebay, the acquisitions director, wanted to purchase all the prints for her own collection and the museum’s. During his final year at Cranbrook in 1943, he served as a graphics instructor. 

Bertoia moved to Los Angeles in 1943 to work as a furniture designer and created his first welded sculptures in 1947 after completing welding classes at Santa Monica City College. After departing from his partner, Bertoia was invited to move to Pennsylvania to work with Hans and Florence Knoll on furniture. The Bertoia chair collection was introduced by Knoll in 1952. 

Among his many awards were the Gold Medal given by the Architectural League of New York (1955-56), the Fine Arts Medal from the Pennsylvania Associated of the American Institute of Architects (1963), and two honorary doctorate degrees from Muhlenberg College (1971) and Lehigh University (1976) in Pennsylvania.