The urge for good design is the same as the urge to go on living. The assumption is that somewhere, hidden, is a better way of doing things.
Harry Bertoia
After returning from his service in the Army during World War II, John, known by his colleagues and friends as Johnny, continued his education at the University of Arkansas. During this time, he met Hans Knoll, who was being honored at a dinner party hosted by a Little Rock hotel owner. The owner had hired Hans to furnish his new hotel with Knoll designs. Hans, who led the most important international furniture and textile firm of the day, captivated Johnny with his passion for modern art and architecture. Before the evening was over, Hans offered Johnny a position at Knoll after his graduation and suggested he pursue a double major in business/marketing and art/design.
By the 1950s, the “Knoll Identity” had become the design standard for contemporary corporate powerhouses, with showrooms located across the country. After training in New York with Hans and Florence Knoll, along with other prominent designers and architects, Johnny was asked to open and manage a showroom for Knoll in Dallas. As the company grew, his territory quickly expanded to include all states west of the Mississippi, as well as Canada and Mexico. During his three decades at Knoll, Johnny rose from a sales associate to the #2 executive, overseeing all distribution outside the U.S., except for Europe.
This collection includes pieces from Johnny’s early days with Knoll, to classic designs by Harry Bertoia and other well-known international designers.
Over the years, Johnny developed close friendships with Hans and Florence Knoll, as well as with many contemporary artists, architects, and designers both domestically and globally, such as Harry Bertoia, Ed Stone, Jens Risom, Bill Stephens, and Richard Schultz, to name a few. Early in his career, Harry Bertoia asked Johnny to be his agent, recognizing his understanding of the importance of art and design in supporting architectural environments. Johnny and Harry maintained a warm friendship throughout their lives.
Before retiring, Johnny returned to New York, where he continued to nurture the relationships he had cultivated over the years with factory workers, designers, and executives from around the world. Johnny was always sincerely interested in people and thrived in his roles as a salesman and manager. Whether attending business meetings around the world or visiting manufacturing facilities, he enjoyed all aspects of the business and was known for his candid and engaging personality, impeccable honesty, hard work, and appreciation for visionary design. He admired the beauty of well-designed furniture, spaces, and art that enhanced the lives of those who experienced them.
This collection includes pieces from Johnny’s early days with Knoll, to classic designs by Harry Bertoia and other well-known international designers.
— Aliece Hendricks, daughter of John L. Helm
Harry Bertoia 1915–1978
Harry Bertoia was a true Renaissance man well-versed in the language of art and design. Born in San Lorenzo, Italy in 1915, Bertoia relocated to the United States at the age of fifteen and enrolled at Cass Technical High School in Detroit to study hand-made jewelry. In 1937, Bertoia was awarded a scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he was drawn to the mostly empty metal shop and, after two years in the program, was invited to head the department.
At Cranbrook, Bertoia was introduced to a number of designers whose names would become synonymous with mid-century modern design. Here he met Eero Saarinen, with whom he would collaborate on numerous architectural projects, and Charles and Ray Eames with whom, for a short period during the war, he would work for at the Molded Plywood Division of Evans Products in California. In 1950, Bertoia moved east to Pennsylvania to open his own studio and to work with Florence Knoll designing chairs. Bertoia designed five chairs out of wire that would become icons of the period, all of them popular and all still in production today.
The success of his chair designs for Knoll afforded Bertoia the means to pursue his artistic career and by the mid-1950s he was dedicated exclusively to his art. Using traditional materials in non-traditional ways, Bertoia created organic sculptural works uniting sound, form and motion. From sculptures sold to private buyers to large-scale installations in the public realm, Bertoia developed an artistic language that is at once recognizable but also uniquely his own.
Today Bertoia’s works can be found in various private and numerous public collections, including: The Art Institute of Chicago, Denver Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., Museum of Modern Art, New York, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Auction Results Harry Bertoia
