Alex Cooper Auctioneers has done it once again. On Saturday, January 21st, the company presents a stunning array of furniture and fine art, crafted by hands of icons. Nowhere is that more evident than in their offering of one of Harry Bertoia’s Sonambient series. Up until 2016, these sculptures weren’t available to public; even now, it is difficult to obtain one. Alex Cooper has offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Harry Bertoia was born in 1945 in San Lorenzo, Fruili, Italy. Named Arri, he showed artistic prowess from a young age: brides would ask the child to embroider their wedding linen, and his drawing teacher admitted his pupil was too advanced for his tutelage. At the age of 15, having exhausted his resources, Bertoia moved to Detroit to further his studies, Americanizing his name to “Harry.” He became the most awarded student in the history of the School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, held a residency at the renowned Cranbrook Academy of Art, and consistently sold his young work to institutions like the Guggenheim. He found friends in the Saarinen family, Kandinsky, and Miro. They aided in his discovery of medium: metalwork, welding, and ergonomic utility. Throughout his life, Bertoia would be a key member in the Midcentury Modern movement, would craft over 50 monumental public works, and exhibit his pieces around the world. By the time of his death—at the age of 63, from lung cancer exacerbated by his metalwork—he was a figure of eminence.
This brings one to the world of Sonambient. Bertoia was enthralled by music, as it was one of the few artistic skills he did not own himself. In this series of sculptures, he crafted “a musical instrument that anyone could play instantly.” Inspired by a traveling caravan of his youth, Bertoia utilized brass, bronze, beryllium copper, aluminum, monel, Inconel, and gold plating to model the rhythm of beating pots and pans. From 1959’s first prototype until his death in 1978, Bertoia continued his work on Sonambient. He made thousands, ranging in size from six inches to twenty feet, and ensured that no two were the same. With his musician brother’s help, eleven albums were recorded of Sonambient concerts: you can listen to them here.
The beauty offered by Alex Cooper consists of bronze silicon, beryllium copper, and forty-one brass rods. It is a statement piece and auditory delight alike. With an estimated value of $55,000, it is not one to miss.
