Talk: Celia Bertoia talks about her father, Harry Bertoia, and his legacy
Hear Celia Bertoia talk about her father, Harry Bertoia, and his legacy
Wednesday, November 2, at 5:00 p.m. at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. Admission is free and open to the public.
I invite you to hear Celia Bertoia describe Harry Bertoia’s work and life in layman’s terms. Experience the sounds, view the monoprints, and feel the power of the man as Celia guides you to experience the world through a great man’s eyes.
Her lecture will include historical facts about Harry Bertoia’s childhood and early artistic talent while growing up in Italy; his move to Detroit and admittance to Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills; making monoprints; his relationship with furniture designers Charles and Ray Eames, and architect like Eero Saarinen; and his energy and passion.
Harry Bertoia died in 1978 but left an enormous legacy of sculptures and drawings. He expressed his love as a jeweler, printmaker, furniture designer, sculptor, and philosopher. Bertoia designed modern chairs, crafted over 50 public sculptures, etched hundreds of monoprints, and welded thousands of art pieces. Bertoia pushed the wave of modern art into an expansive period of exploration of not only visual, but practical and auditory and tactile art.
From delicate jewelry to massive fountains, from an asymmetrical chaise lounge to petite children’s chairs, from detailed graphics to thunderous gongs; this artist took what he infused from Nature’s beauty and transformed it into uplifting experiential pieces.
Celia Bertoia grew up in Pennsylvania, lived in Boulder, CO and Reserve, NM for many years, and settled in Bozeman, MT with her husband in 1996. She has been a competitive runner for 15 years. and placed in the top ten of numerous Ultra Runs (runs longer than a marathon). She has published articles in national magazines and is currently working on a biography of Harry Bertoia. Today she promotes Harry Bertoia’s artwork via the internet and lectures.
Marilyn L. Wheaton
Director
Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum