Black and white Wire chair by Harry Bertoia - Knoll - Vintage
Wire metal chair by Harry Bertoia
White seat, Black base
Original vintage model Knoll edition, 1960
Epoxy paint redone
Designer: Harry Bertoia
Brand: Knoll
Colors: black and white
Material: steel
Dimensions: L 54 cm x D 58 cm x H 73 cm (seat H 46 cm)
Availability: In stock
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This iconic design chair is made up of a steel wire mesh structure supported by thin metal legs. Its manufacture was initially manual: each wire bent by hand before being welded and chromed (sometimes covered with white, black or colored rilsan).
According to Harry Bertoia: "This chair is a study in space, shapes, metal. If you look at it, it is made mainly of air, like a light sculpture. Space flows through it."
The five chairs in the Bertoia collection for Knoll are all based on the same manufacturing principle: Bertoia Side Chair (table chair: 1952), Bertoia Barstool (bar stool: 1952), Bertoia Bird Lounge (lounge chair and ottoman: 1956 ) and Bertoia Asymmetric (asymmetrical lounge chair: 1952).
Learn more about this designer
Italian Arieto Bertoia, known as Harry Bertoia, settled and studied art and design in the United States as a teenager.
Passionate about metalwork and sculpture, he collaborated on the creation of the famous Eames chairs until 1945. Then in 1950, he created for Hans and Florence Knoll a collection of seats in woven steel wire including the famous chair Diamond with an almost sculptural and geometric shape.
The “Diamond chair” (1952), the “Bird chair” (1956) and the “Barstool chair” (1952) shook up modernism.
The dazzling success of his chairs at Knoll decided him to devote himself exclusively to his first passion: sculpture. Until the end of his life, he explored the relationship between metal sculpture and sound by creating sound sculptures.
Called “Sonambient” they will be exhibited and recorded in “concert” on dozens of audio albums.
An accomplished versatile artist, master Bertoia remains as much applauded for his creative accomplishments as for his work as a furniture designer.
Learn more about the brand
Knoll is an American company manufacturing office furniture and equipment.
Headquartered in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, it was founded in 1938 by Hans Knoll, a German-born entrepreneur. With his wife Florence, they created one of the most creative and prolific companies of the post-war era. The “Knoll style” was born: they imposed their vision of layout thanks to the “Planning Unit”, a unique service of its kind for the time, combining interior architecture, design, production, textiles, graphics. After Hans' death in 1955, Florence replaced her husband at the head of the company, leaving it in 1965.
Like Herman Miller, Knoll's importance in 20th century design was considerable. Knoll worked with renowned architects and designers including Eero Saarinen, Isamu Noguchi, Frank Gehry and Ross Lovegrove.
Many pieces of furniture made by Knoll have become part of design history.
