Harry Bertoia
(1915 - 1978)
Reed Tonal Sculpture
beryllium copper
In 1960, Harry Bertoia began the exploration of tonal sculptures. The “tonal”, or sounding sculpture, is the art that is most often associated with Harry Bertoia. Their sizes vary from a few inches all the way up to twenty feet tall. Many metals were used for the rods, the most common being beryllium copper known for its wide range of color variations and rich tones. Some rods are capped with cylinders or drops of metal, resembling cattails, which, by their weight, accentuate the swaying of the tonal rods creating deep resonant tones. Harry and his brother Oreste both loved music and spent endless hours experimenting and finding new sounds to incorporate into Sonambient, the auditory and visual environment created by the tonals.
22 x 4 in. (55.88 x 10.16 cm.)
The Georgia and Charles Loloma Collection