Harry Bertoia
A Cass Tech and Cranbrook product whose metalwork ran from jewelry to sounding sculpture.
This artist's work is shown through the museum and artist links on this page while it remains under copyright or awaits a permission-cleared image.
Bertoia was born in San Lorenzo, Italy, and moved to Detroit in 1930 to join his brother. He attended Cass Technical High School, then won a scholarship to the School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts.
He entered Cranbrook in 1937 as a painting student. In 1939 Eliel Saarinen asked him to reopen the metal shop, and he taught there until 1943.
His first architectural commission came in 1953 for the General Motors Technical Center in Warren. He went on to complete more than 50 public works, along with the Diamond chair for Knoll and the tonal Sonambient sculptures he began in 1960.