Terms and conditions of use
Harry BERTOIA (designer), KNOLL INTERNATIONAL, New York (manufacturer), WILLIAM LATCHFORD & SONS PTY LTD, North Melbourne and Box Hill (manufacturer)
Diamond chair
designed (1951)
Medium
enamel paint on steel, wool, cotton, nylon, foam, metal, vinyl
Measurements
(a-b) 77.3 × 85.1 × 69.6 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1973
Gallery location
Contemporary Art gallery
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
In 1951 Harry Bertoia’s innovative wire chairs were produced for the manufacturer Knoll, with his most famous being the Diamond chair. Despite being almost entirely constructed by hand, the Diamond chair was such a success that the royalties made from sales allowed Bertoia to concentrate solely on his career in metal sculpture. He wrote, ‘In chairs, many functional problems have to be addressed first, but when you get right down to it, chairs are studies in space, form and metal. If you look at them you will find that they are mostly made of air, just like sculpture. Space passes right through them.’
Artwork Details
Inscription
(b) printed in black and red ink and inscribed in ballpoint pen on paper label on base of cushion u.c.: I WILLIAM LATCHFORD & SONS Pty. Ltd. / 50 LEXTON ROAD, BOX HILL, VICTORIA / 87 FORVEAUX STREET, SYDNEY, N.S.W. / AUSTRALASIAN LICENSEE / Knoll / K (in diamond) / International / UPHOLSTERED WITH NEW MATERIALS / · FOAM RUBBER · POLYETHER · PURE DOWN · ( PURE DOWN · underlined) COTTON WADDING · DACRON · / JOB No...G 167 (dotted underline) ........ ITEM...H21-2 (dotted underline) ........ / ........... /
Accession Number
D232.a-b-1973
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited