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Harry Bertoia

Harry Bertoia is particularly known for his designs in the field of seating furniture. His Diamond Chair, designed in 1950, is internationally appreciated and is still built unchanged today.

Bertoia (1915 - 1978) was born in Italy and joined his brother Oreste in the USA at the age of 15. He studied art and design at Detroit Technical High School and the Detroit School of Arts and Crafts and learned the jeweler's trade. He went to the Cranbrook Academy of Art on a scholarship and a year later opened his first workshop, where he also taught Charles Eames. During World War 2, he went to California and worked with Charles and Ray Eames. Thus, he was intensively involved in the design of the world-famous Eames Chair. In the 1950s he went to Pennsylvania, where he opened a studio and worked intensively with the furniture company Hans Knoll.

After the great commercial success of his Wire Furniture designs, Bertoia turned increasingly to art, creating sculptures and architectural designs for Knoll. He worked freely on light and sound installations, in painting and architecture. With the help of his Sound Sculptures, he created the recordings for Sonambient, a series of eleven record releases. Fifty of Bertoia's sculptures are still visible in public spaces today. He died of lung cancer in 1978.

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Works for listening