Bertoia was born in Italy but moved to the United States at the age of 15 with his older brother, Oreste. He learned English and studied jewelry making from 1930 to 1936. But in 1937, something happened that would change his life and contribute to art and design in a meaningful way. He received a scholarship to study at the Cranbrook Academy of Art where he encountered Walter Gropius (founder of the legendary Bauhaus School in Germany, previously here), Ray and Charles Eames (influential pioneers of architecture and design, previously here), and Florence Knoll (architect and interior/furniture designer who, along with her husband Hans, started the revolutionary company Knoll Associates, now known simply as Knoll).
After moving from a student of painting to teaching jewelry and metal work, he was recruited to join Charles and Ray Eames in California to work on the development of their molded plywood products. But what happened next is a wonderful example of networking and simply putting yourself "out there" as the saying goes. The official Knoll site describes it well:
"On the suggestion of Herbert Matter, who had worked alongside Eames and Bertoia, Florence and Hans [Knoll] traveled to California and encouraged Bertoia to move east and set up his own metal shop in a corner of Knoll’s production facility. Having studied with Bertoia at Cranbrook, Florence was sure that he would produce something extraordinary if given the time and space to experiment.
Characteristic of the early environment at Knoll, Hans and Florence never demanded that Bertoia design furniture, but instead encouraged him to explore whatever he liked. They simply asked that if he arrived at something interesting, to show them. Needless to say, Harry Bertoia arrived at something outstanding. His iconic wire furniture collection, introduced in 1952, is recognized worldwide as one of the great achievements of 20th century furniture design."
The chair can be used without a seat pad for outdoor--or even indoor--lounging...
The pad provides some cushion and presents an opportunity to introduce color into a space.
The Diamond Chair is also offered with a full body pad!
The Diamond Chair is still in production and can be purchased from Knoll or Design Within Reach!
Take a look at the official Harry Bertoia website to see his marvelous paintings and sculptures as well.
Happy designing!
