HARRY BERTOIA 1915-1978 'Willow' sculpture, ca

Literature
Harry Bertoia: an exhibition of his sculpture and graphics, exh. cat., Allentown Art Museum, 1975, p. 18 for a similar example;
Nancy N. Schiffer and Val O. Bertoia, The World of Bertoia, Atglen, 2003, pp. 167-170 for similar examples

From the late 1950s to the mid-1970s Harry Bertoia produced metal sculptures in a variety of forms, utilizing different techniques such as the bundling of stainless steel wires in various spots along their lengths, producing both naturalistic and abstract results. The wire sculptures were experiments in color reflection, movement and shape. Often, as seen in the offered lot, the thin strands radiated from a central point.

The "Willow" sculpture truly captures Bertoia's passion for the organic form. The thin strands of stainless steel appear to fall effortlessly toward the base in a uniform stream of light and movement, evoking images of a willow tree or water fountain. The "Willow's" streamlined take on organic form is the apotheosis of the marriage of a modern aesthetic and materials with naturalistic subject matter.