Sounding

In 1960, Bertoia started the exploration of tonal sculptures. The "tonal", or sounding sculpture, is the art that is most often associated with Harry Bertoia. Their sizes vary from a few inches all the way up to more than twenty feet. Many metals were used for the rods, the most common being beryllium copper known for its wide range of color variations. Some rods, such as in the current example, are capped with cylinders or drops of metal, which, by their weight, accentuate the swaying of the tonal rods. Harry and Oreste (his brother) both loved music and spent endless happy hours experimenting and finding new sounds to incorporate into Sonambient, the name he applied to the auditory and visual environment created by the tonals.

© Estate of Harry Bertoia