Circa 1952, painted steel.
H: 29 3/4 in.
note:
This early version of Bertoia's iconic wire chair has a double metal strand around the outside of the frame and hand built construction (evident in the welds), differentiating the present lot from the later production model. It is the dual strand that helped create the controversy surrounding Bertoia's chair and Charles and Ray Eames' wire chair, that resulted in a subsequent lawsuit. While Bertoia had lived in California and worked with the Eames' prior to working with Knoll, the double wire framework was patented for use by Eames/Herman Miller.