Mid 20th Century Modern Model 400 Bench by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
View Similar Items
Mid 20th Century Modern Model 400 Bench by Harry Bertoia for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Harry Bertoia (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 15.16 in (38.5 cm)Width: 65.75 in (167 cm)Depth: 18.51 in (47 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Brugge, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8823239543152
Bertoia Bench
Simple, straightforward and unassuming in its clever design, the Bertoia bench is a hallmark mid-century modern piece. Harry Bertoia (1915–78) was an Italian-American sculptor, jewelry designer and furniture maker who developed his famous bench for Knoll in 1952. Made of slatted wood set atop a chrome-plated welded steel frame, the bench was Bertoia’s first product for Knoll, who granted him creative freedom when he joined the company’s studio in 1950. While the piece does not represent Bertoia’s now-famous signature wire-lattice style, it does hint at the sculptural quality that characterizes all of his work.
Before arriving at Knoll, Bertoia studied painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He eventually became a faculty member there, working alongside Eliel Saarinen, Walter Gropius and others. Bertoia eventually left the academy for California to help Charles and Ray Eames perfect the design of an award-winning chair that Charles had worked on with Eero Saarinen while at Cranbrook. It was thanks to Bertoia’s breakthrough welding contributions and innovations with plywood that cleared a path to mass production for both the chair and other wood-laminate furniture. However, the Eameses failed to credit Bertoia once the chair hit the market, thus ending the trio’s working relationship. A few years later, Bertoia joined the Knoll studio at the behest of his former Cranbrook classmate, Florence Knoll, and there he produced the bench as well as the beloved Diamond chair. Sculptural and versatile, the Bertoia bench can also be used as a coffee table. It is still manufactured by Knoll today.
Harry Bertoia
Sculptor, furniture and jewelry designer, graphic artist and metalsmith, Harry Bertoia was one of the great cross-disciplinarians of 20th-century art and design and a central figure in American mid-century modernism. Among furniture aficionados, Bertoia is known for his chairs such as the wire-lattice Diamond chair (and its variants such as the tall-backed Bird chair) designed for Knoll Inc. and first released in 1952.
As an artist, he is revered for a style that was his alone. Bertoia’s metal sculptures are by turns expressive and austere, powerful and subtle, intimate in scale and monumental. All embody a tension between the intricacy and precision of Bertoia’s forms and the raw strength of his materials: steel, brass, bronze and copper.
Fortune seemed to guide Bertoia’s artistic development. Born in northeastern Italy, Bertoia immigrated to the United States at age 15, joining an older brother in Detroit. He studied drawing and metalworking in the gifted student program at Cass Technical High School. Recognition led to awards that culminated, in 1937, in a teaching scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Bloomfield Hills, one of the great crucibles of modernism in America.
At Cranbrook, Bertoia made friendships — with architect Eero Saarinen, designers Charles and Ray Eames and Florence Schust Knoll and others — that shaped the course of his life. He taught metalworking at the school, and when materials rationing during World War II limited the availability of metals, Bertoia focused on jewelry design. He also experimented with monotype printmaking, and 19 of his earliest efforts were bought by the Guggenheim Museum.
In 1943, he left Cranbrook to work in California with the Eameses, helping them develop their now-famed plywood furniture. (Bertoia received scant credit.) Late in that decade, Florence and Hans Knoll persuaded him to move east and join Knoll Inc. His chairs became and remain perennial bestsellers. Royalties allowed Bertoia to devote himself full-time to metal sculpture, a medium he began to explore in earnest in 1947.
By the early 1950s Bertoia was receiving commissions for large-scale works from architects — the first came via Saarinen — as he refined his aesthetic vocabulary into two distinct skeins. One comprises his “sounding sculptures” — gongs and “Sonambient” groupings of rods that strike together and chime when touched by hand or by the wind. The other genre encompasses Bertoia’s naturalistic works: abstract sculptures that suggest bushes, flower petals, leaves, dandelions or sprays of grass.
As you will see on these pages, Harry Bertoia was truly unique; his art and designs manifest a wholly singular combination of delicacy and strength.
Find vintage Harry Bertoia sculptures, armchairs, benches and other furniture and art on 1stDibs.
- Mid 20th Century Modern Table lighter by Dieter Rams for BraunBy Dieter Rams, BraunLocated in Brugge, BE1968-1970 Germany Brushed metal 8.5cm high, 5.5cm diameter Dieter Rams, born in 1932, is a renowned German industrial designer closely associated with Braun, Vitsœ, and the funct...Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsMetal
- Mid 20th Century Modern Daybed by Greaves & Thomas, 1960sBy Greaves and ThomasLocated in Brugge, BE1960s United Kingdom Teak and ivory boucle 71cm high, 165cm wide, 75cm deep Greaves & Thomas operated as a furniture manufacturer headquartered in Clapton, London, within the Lon...Category
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
MaterialsBouclé, Teak
- Mid 20th Century Modern Folding Screen by J. Baumann, 1950sBy Jomaine BaumannLocated in Brugge, BE1950s France Pine 180cm high, 200cm wide, 2cm deepCategory
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsPine
- Mid 20th Century Modern Pair of Armchairs by Ingmar Relling for Westnofa, 1960sBy Ingmar Relling, Westnofa FurnitureLocated in Brugge, BE1960s Norway Teak and ivory boucle 81cm high, 66cm wide, 77cm deep Ingmar Relling (1920-2002) was a dedicated designer renowned for his creation of functional furniture designs t...Category
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBouclé, Teak
- Mid 20th Century Modern Coffee table by Knud Joos-Jensen for Jason MøblerLocated in Brugge, BECoffee table by Knud Joos-Jensen for Jason Møbler 1960s Denmark Rosewood and steel 34cm high, 80cm wide, 80cm deep Knud Joos-Jensen (1928-2008) distinguished himself as a vision...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Mid 20th Century Modern Credenza attributed to Alfred Hendrickx for BelformBy Belform, Alfred HendrickxLocated in Brugge, BE1960s Belgium Rosewood 79cm high, 120.5cm wide, 37cm deep Alfred Hendrickx (b.1931, Mechelen) emerged as a prominent designer during the dynamic period of the 1950s and 1960s. Celebrated for his influential contributions to the world of design, Hendrickx left an indelible mark, earning him the title of one of Europe’s most important post-war designers. Hendrickx gained widespread recognition for his work with Belform, showcased at the Expo '58. Alongside renowned contemporaries such as Willy Van Der Meeren, Jos De Mey, and Lucien Engels, he stood out as one of the era's preeminent designers. His initial foray into furniture design commenced at the Van Fleteren company, founded by his grandfather Eugéne van Fleteren. Hendrickx's career took root at De Coene Frères, where he crafted modern, functional furniture before moving on to Belform. It was at Belform that he achieved great success, creating a collection of furniture in exotic woods that garnered widespread acclaim. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hendrickx lent his creative prowess to Belgian Bovenkamp, where he designed numerous pieces in teak and mahogany. His signature style was characterized by elegant simplicity, meticulous attention to detail, and the use of high-quality materials. Hendrickx's designs found a wide audience in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, solidifying his influence on the European design scene. The legacy of Alfred Hendrickx endures through the timeless appeal of his creations. His furniture, known for its sleek lines and modernist aesthetic, has transcended its era, making it highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of retro design. Today, Hendrickx's works, showcased prominently in the Design Museum Ghent, stand as emblematic examples of the Belgian modernist style, serving as a testament to his enduring impact on the world of design. In 2000, Mil De Kooning further immortalized Hendrickx's contributions with the publication of "Contemporary Design - Alfred Hendrickx and the Fifties Furniture...Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsRosewood
- Harry Bertoia, Bench Model 400By Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Firenze, ITHarry Bertoia Bench Model 400 Bench model 400 designed by Harry Bertoia, metal legs and wooden slatted seat. Manufactured by Knoll International, USA, late 1950s Bibliography: S. Ro...Category
Vintage 1950s Benches
MaterialsMetal
- Harry Bertoia Bench 400 Knoll International Mid Century Coffee TableBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Berlin, BEThis design by Harry Bertoia for Hans and Florence Knoll is an icon of mid-century modern design. Straightforward and simple but still unmistakable. The base has been kept in origina...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Mid-Century Slat Bench by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in BROOKLYN, NYWonderful mid-century slat bench or coffee table by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1950s. Stained ash. Early original Bowtie Label (Knoll Associates) that predates Knoll International. Has...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Slat Bench by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1970s. Wood slat bench with metal legs. Tagged.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Associates Model 400 Bench in Oak with Black BaseBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is an iconic slatted oak bench designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by Knoll. It dates to circa 1952. This piece was constructed using solid oak wood for the top an...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Beautiful Midcentury Slat Bench by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, USA, 1950sBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful modernist ashwood slat bench with an iron base from the 1950s. Designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Restored, in very good condition. The bench also makes a great coffee ...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsIron
