Harry Bertoia

Wright Chicago, December 6, 2005, lot 272

Nancy Schiffer and Val O. Bertoia, The World of Bertoia, Atglen, PA 2003, p. 91 (for period photographs of the Staempfli Gallery example)

Overall in excellent original condition. With some scattered surface dirt. This is a large scale piece and has a dramatic presence.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This lot is being sold with a certificate of authenticity from the Harry Bertoia Research Project.

This grand tree-shaped sculpture is one of only three known pieces in this style, all of which were created in the years 1957-1959.  One was exhibited at Galeria Don Hatch, Caracas , Venezuela in 1958. The second belonged to George Staempfli, Bertoia's  New York dealer, which he displayed in his home in Spain before selling it to the famed soprano Anna Moffo Sarnoff,  whose estate auctioned it at Sotheby's in October 2006. This third example is a stunning gilded explosion, emanating from a center of voluptuously dark structures. It is as if Bertoia were looking at the center of his creative forces. 

For the first time in his work, straight golden rays shoot from the core; radiate brilliantly through space, almost free, almost flying through space.  It is the embryo of all the dandelions. After a decade-long series of screens and trees, static by nature, it is a turning point. Of course, there is still a base, but in this piece, the stem and the base are not as critical.  Crafted with meticulous, jewelry-like precision, they are there only to elegantly put the flower form at eye level, so we can experience with him the "ah ha" moment. 

A brilliant development in the life of this creative genius.

--Mary Thorp
Harry Bertoia Research Project