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The Harry Bertoia Foundation

@harrybertoia

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The official account of The Harry Bertoia Foundation, homebase St George, Utah.

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This week's Catalogue Raisonné spotlight is Commission for Cuyahoga Savings Associates; Hanging Hemisphere.

1965
Stainless steel wire and stainless steel
126 x 138 in. (320 x 350.5 cm)

The architectural firm of Arthur Lawrence Associates, along with bank president Clarence P. Bryan, commissioned Bertoia to create this work as part of the interior design for the Cuyahoga Savings Association building in downtown Cleveland.

Though resembling other large-scale dandelion or sunburst sculptures previously realized by Bertoia, this commission is unique as it is only a hemisphere, or, as architect Arthur Lawrence referred to it, an “inverted umbrella.” The sculpture hung from a single wire affixed to the ceiling in the lobby of the bank, just past the revolving-door entrance and visible from the street through the glass curtain walls. The carefully lit wires of the sculpture cast dynamic patterns on the ceiling and served as a shimmering focal point in the space.

In 2007, the global financial services firm Morningstar acquired the work and installed it, hanging from the ceiling in a two-story atrium café space of its new headquarters in Chicago’s Loop. by @harrybertoia

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2 days ago

Bring the kids to our “petting zoo” at the Foundation Gallery in St. George!

Most places tell you “DON’T TOUCH.”
We say “TOUCH GENTLY.”

Harry wanted the tonals to be touched!

Come explore the gallery, get hands-on with the art, and experience the tonals for yourself.

Foundation Gallery
1449 1400 W St #11
St. George, UT 84770 by @harrybertoia

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5 days ago

The Harry Bertoia sounding sculptures at the Standard Oil Building in Chicago - now the Aon Center - were mentioned in a recent Financial Times article describing the places in Chicago that should be on the list of things a visitor should see while in town... If you have plans to visit the Windy City, it's a great resource! (Link in Bio!)https://www.ft.com/content/630b8e10-38e0-400a-a4b5-1f92ca89ee99 by @harrybertoia

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11 days ago

This week's Catalogue Raisonné spotlight is a sculptural screen Commission for Manufacturers Trust Building.

Untitled
Alternate titles: Commission for 510 Fifth Avenue; Commission for Manufacturers Trust Building; Golden Arbor; Golden Screen; Sculptural screen
1954
Steel with brass, copper, and nickel coating
Welded and melt-coated
192 x 840 x 24 in. (487.7 x 2133.6 x 61 cm)

Bertoia was commissioned to make this monumental multiplane screen for the the main banking area on the second floor of the bank's new building, located at 510 Fifth Avenue in New York, NY.

This work highlights Bertoia's signature "brutalist" spill-cast aesthetic, where brass is heated and melted directly over a steel frame to create highly tactile, encrusted, and shimmering organic textures. by @harrybertoia

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12 days ago

This week's Catalogue Raisonné spotlight is Necklace and Pendant.

Silver and malachite
H. 22 in. (55.9 cm) (length of chain)
1 5/8 x 1 1/8 in. (4.1 x 2.9 cm) (pendant)

Bertoia crafted this modernist piece early in his career, between 1937 and 1943, during his time at the @cranbrookartmuseum

His jewelry from this era reflects the same structural elegance, organic lines, and focus on form that he would later translate into his iconic wire furniture designs and large-scale sound sculptures. by @harrybertoia

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16 days ago

This unusual tonal with feet, buds, and 100 short rods, was sold at Sotheby's in 2023. The thickness of the rods requires plucking or slapping rather than a soft touch.

Swipe to see Harry with a similar plucking tonal. by @harrybertoia

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19 days ago

This week's Catalogue Raisonné spotlight is an untitled Ink on Laid Paper
Alternate title: Untitled Monotype (Non-Objective Polychrome Block Print) from the Synchromy Series
c.1943

Image: 16 1/4 x 13 in. (41.3 x 33 cm)
Mat size: 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 40.6 cm)
Sheet: 20 3/4 x 14 1/4 in. (52.7 x 36.2 cm)

During his time at the Cranbrook Academy of Art (where he studied and later taught metalworking and graphic arts between 1937 and 1943), Bertoia became highly prolific in creating abstract monoprints and monotypes. He frequently used the title "Synchromy" to describe these unique experiments, which explored the structural harmony of non-objective geometric forms, lines, and layered colors. by @harrybertoia

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24 days ago

Talk about attention to detail!

Bertoia's signature 'Bush' sculptures are celebrated for their intricate, organic complexity. Each wire of a bush sculpture is topped with a melted round bud.

His background in fine jewelry making and metalworking directly inspired these small-scale decorative masterpieces, balancing structural rigidity with a soft, cloud-like visual texture. by @harrybertoia

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25 days ago

Untitled
c.1950s
Creation location: Bally, PA
Brass-coated steel
Brazed
11 3/4 x 15 1/2 x 12 in. (29.8 x 39.4 x 30.5 cm)
Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, 2006
Private collection, 2006 (purchased)

Bertoia was a master metalsmith. In pieces like this, he utilized a specialized "melt-coating" or brazing technique. He would coat or spill molten brass over a steel framework, leaving a highly organic, shimmering, and beautifully textured surface. by @harrybertoia

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a month ago

Some of Bertoia's most beautiful creations were the gilt dandelions. Larger models have as many as 80,000 individual wires. Each one had to be wiped clean of the shipping coating, cut to size, then dipped in the electroplating vat with gold chips.

Amazing. by @harrybertoia

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a month ago

An interesting story from New Sounds at WNYC on "sound sculptors who bridge the divide between visual art and musical art with their inventions." And it opens with a description of Harry Bertoia's sonambients... https://wnyc.org/browse/shows/episode/simplecast/a9eced81-7a65-4ac2-852e-e94342f12d6a by @harrybertoia

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a month ago

Bellisima Bellisima Bellisima, Nova
1970
Vinyl LP record in cardboard sleeve
Pressed by Allentown Record Co., Inc.
Liner notes by D'Otrange Mastai
Mastered by Pete Helffrich
Cover photo by Guy Tomme

Track List:
A - Bellissima Bellissima Bellissima, 17:31
B - Nova, 13:27

Bertoia recorded these shimmering metallic overtones and ambient resonance by hand-activating tuned metal rods installed in his studio barn in Pennsylvania. by @harrybertoia

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a month ago