bertoia bird chair & ottoman
by Harry Bertoia from Knoll
bertoia bird chair & ottoman
Design Harry Bertoia, 1952
Welded steel rods, upholstery
Made in USA by Knoll
Harry Bertoia's 1950 experiment with bending metal rods into practical art produced a revered collection of seating, including the exquisite Bird chair. Innovative, comfortable and strikingly handsome, the chair's delicate appearance belies its strength and durability. In Bertoia's own words, "If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes right through them."
Italian sculptor, university lecturer and furniture designer, Harry Bertoia was an inventor of form and an enricher of design. He introduced a new material by turning industrial wire rods into a design icon. Educated at the Detroit School of Arts & Crafts and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bertoia taught metal crafts at Cranbrook while working with Charles Eames to develop his signature molded plywood chairs. Eero Saarinen commissioned him to design a metal sculptured screen for the General Motors Technical Center in Detroit. His awards include the craftsmanship medal from the American Institute of Architects, as well as AIA's Gold Medal.
A classic, modern design that enhances any environment, Bertoia's Bird chair remains a fascinating study in bent metal and a fixture of mid-century design. Knoll is the only authorized and licensed manufacturer of the Bertoia Collection which has been in continuous production since 1952.
bird chair: 38.5" w | 33" d | 40.25" h | seat: 14.5" h | 21lbs.
bird ottoman: 23.5" w | 17.25" d | 14.5" h | 9lbs.
Welded steel rods, upholstery
Made in USA by Knoll
Harry Bertoia's 1950 experiment with bending metal rods into practical art produced a revered collection of seating, including the exquisite Bird chair. Innovative, comfortable and strikingly handsome, the chair's delicate appearance belies its strength and durability. In Bertoia's own words, "If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes right through them."
Italian sculptor, university lecturer and furniture designer, Harry Bertoia was an inventor of form and an enricher of design. He introduced a new material by turning industrial wire rods into a design icon. Educated at the Detroit School of Arts & Crafts and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bertoia taught metal crafts at Cranbrook while working with Charles Eames to develop his signature molded plywood chairs. Eero Saarinen commissioned him to design a metal sculptured screen for the General Motors Technical Center in Detroit. His awards include the craftsmanship medal from the American Institute of Architects, as well as AIA's Gold Medal.
A classic, modern design that enhances any environment, Bertoia's Bird chair remains a fascinating study in bent metal and a fixture of mid-century design. Knoll is the only authorized and licensed manufacturer of the Bertoia Collection which has been in continuous production since 1952.
bird chair: 38.5" w | 33" d | 40.25" h | seat: 14.5" h | 21lbs.
bird ottoman: 23.5" w | 17.25" d | 14.5" h | 9lbs.
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Harry Bertoia
Florence Knoll had seen Bertoia's work at Cranbrook and suspected he had more furniture ideas. Knoll offered him free rein to design what he wished with full credit and complete recognition of his work, resulting in the Bertoia collection.
Knoll has remained true to the Bauhaus design philosophy that furniture should complement architectural space and not compete with it. Modernism is a passion at Knoll which results in ground breaking modern furniture.