Harry Bertoia chairs

Harry Bertoia was born in the small village of San Lorenzo, Italy, and at 15 emigrated to his brother in Detroit, USA. There he studied drawing and painting at Cass Technical High School, which in turn led to a scholarship to study at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills. There he met Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Florence Schust Knoll, all of whom would influence his life and design.

Harry Bertoia was a sculptor, furniture and jewellery designer, graphic designer and metalsmith. He was a highly versatile and talented artist who played a major role in American modernism.

Bertoia was 37 years old when he designed the patented Diamond Chair for Knoll in 1952. The chair became an instant commercial success and, in time, a design icon that is as popular today as it was 60 years later. Knoll historian Brian Lutz said of Bertoia that his paintings were better than his sculptures, and his sculptures were better than his paintings. And his paintings were absolutely brilliant. Today, Knoll continues Bertoia’s legacy of innovation and inspiration with the Bertoia collection, which has been in continuous production since it was launched.