Harry Bertoia, In the Great Oneness: Drawings, Sculpture & Sound, Hosfelt Gallery

Bertoia Untitled 1943-50 ink on Japanese paper

By Patrick James Dunagan

It has been nearly seventy years since a major show of Harry Bertoia’s work on the west coast. That last show was at SFMOMA in 1956. Bertoia (1915–1978) at the time was in his mid-forties about a decade into his artistic career which started when he sent roughly 100 monotypes to a New York curator at MOMA (NY) asking what she thought. Struck by the assured skill and originality of the modernist inspired abstraction of his monotypes, her response was to purchase all of them.

According to Dr. Bridget Gilman, Senior Researcher for the Harry Bertoia Foundation, who gave a talk Sept 18th at the Hosfelt, the monotypes were subsequently shown both at MOMA and around the country in MOMA sponsored shows at local museums. Bertoia retained a deep affection for these monotypes and later in life negotiated with MOMA for their return in exchange for one of his larger sculptural pieces. A couple of these monotypes are among the earliest of pieces included in this show, which ranges through all the years of Bertoia’s work and the various forms he worked in.

Having first cut his teeth working in furniture design (on both the Eames chair in California and the renowned wire collection of Knoll in Pennsylvania), a rugged precision based upon keen understanding of the composite element properties of his materials undergirds Bertoia’s work. The monotypes are abstract in nature, often consisting of sets of interlaced or intersecting rod-like lines recalling the minimalistic furniture designs of his early commercial experience. At times the monotypes appear to be painted or drawn however they are indeed single prints.

Although in some cases he did revisit a plate adding to and transforming what was preexisting and thereafter creating an entirely new monotype.

Bertoia Untitled, c. 1957 block printed ink and graphite on mulberry pape

Bertoia made thousands of monotypes all told and apparently worked on them fresh with little or no preparatory sketching. He did not utilize drawing in notebooks, however the monotypes demonstrate clear indication they at times provided him the locale to develop and visualize larger sculptural works. For instance, it’s easy to imagine “Untitled, c. 1957 block printed ink and graphite on mulberry paper” with lines forming a wire frame interconnecting a grid of bronze colored squares as a scaled down model for a larger archly modernist iron and metal wall sculpture.

Drawing inspiration from laws of chemistry, mathematics and orders of the natural world, Bertoia knew what he wanted, the visual and (later on) aural goals he wished to achieve. His artistic advances were ever steady, successful and well calculated. In contrast to the precision necessary to his work, he was disposed towards using terminology loosely; he referred to his monotypes at times as drawings and had a definitive feeling against providing titles for individual works, opting instead to leave the year(s) and materials composing the work stand alone as its identifiers.

Bertoia Untitled c. 1965 spill cast bronze

Complimenting the monotypes, upon entering the gallery visitors are greeted by the compact yet beastly “untitled, c. 1965 spill cast bronze”. An industrial inspired wreckage of molten gore. It remains strikingly active in its frozen form. Bertoia also created fascinating creature-like abstract sculptures out of lumps of gnarled bronzes both singularly—a few stand alone as little towering figurines and several smaller pieced lumps are sprawled across a tabletop surface at Hosfelt—as well in chess-like sets atop bronzed boards, such as “Untitled, 1960, welded and patinated bronze”. These bronze lumps demonstrate his shifting from the two dimensional monotypes towards three dimensional work with what became an encompassing emphasis upon sound sculptures.

Untitled, 1960

welded and patinated bronze

6 x 12 1/2 x 7 3/4 in

In an issue of San Francisco Bird and Beckett Bookstore’s house journal Amerarcana, visual sound artist and poet Ava Koohbor describes how Bertoia’s “tonal sculptures, built and stored in a Pennsylvania barn, consist of reverberating metal rods which when stroked release magical, mesmerizing sound. He later recorded these sounds on [a] vinyl LP album series and called them Sonambient.” (Koohbor 93) She continues on: “Some Sonambient sculptures are ‘gongs’; others are ‘singing bars’ that float overhead on cords and some are made of metal rods. These sonic oscillating sculptures when rubbed or touched by wind produce a wide gamut of sounds, ranging from harp-like tones to reverberating church bells and at times they sound a strange cacophony like that of ocean waves crashing and receding in metal.” (Koohbor 94)

The analogies with natural sound such as wind blowing across a field of reeds are quite clearly realized by both the form and sound (when activated) of these pieces with copper rods, sometimes bronzed, arising vertically up in tightly packed grids from brass plates. Varying the height of the rods allows for a tonal hum or buzz to be emitted when they are brushed by hand, or even wind if placed outdoors. The circumference of the rods and whether or not they’re bronze or otherwise also affects the sound produced. Bertoia’s metalworking skills are readily apparent in their clean welds and overall long-lasting sturdiness.

(L) Bertoia Untitled, 1970s beryllium copper and aluminum on brass plate, (R) Bertoia Untitled, 1970s phosphor bronze on brass plate

While visitors are not welcome to activate these works on their own, when Todd Hosfelt was on hand in the gallery ahead of Gilaman’s Sept 18th talk he was found to be activating several of them upon request. Visitors no doubt may be lucky enough to prevail upon him to repeat such occurrences. Meantime, “Untitled, 1970s beryllium copper and aluminum on brass plate” can be heard in action here and “Untitled, 1970s phosphor bronze on brass plate” can be heard in action here (Worth noting about this Sonambient is the sheer number of rods: “Rod layout: 14 x 14; 13 x 13 (365 total rods)). Examples of both the “gong” and “singing bars” are also on hand at Hosfelt.

Bertoia Sonambient environment including gong

Whether activated aurally or not the Somnambients when grouped together affect an environment all of their own. An immersive field of wonder which has been engagingly realized at Hosfelt for the first time in such a fashion this far west of the Missipippi. This is the show for metal geeks, sound nerds, art quirks of various types, and globular mind drifters.

This exhibition runs, 2 September - 11 October 2025.

Work Cited
Koohbor, Ava. “"The Sound of Two Harrys" [Bertoia and Partch].” Amerarcana: "Shuffleboil special issue", no. 7, 2016, pp. 93-97.