Harry Bertoia: Echoes in Space

Harry Bertoia, an Italian immigrant, was at the vanguard of 20th-century American postwar Modernism. An artist, designer, and craftsperson, Bertoia (1915–1978) ushered in a new era of creative experimentation.

Harry Bertoia: Echoes in Space traces three decades of his extraordinary sculptural pursuits in metal, from the early 1950s through the 1970s. Drawn largely from the MFAH collections, the installation features more than a dozen works by Bertoia, including a monumental brass and copper multiplane construction from the early 1950s as his artistic outlook found kinship with Modernist architecture. Echoes in Space follows Bertoia’s search to capture nature’s radiance through light and movement. Sculptures refer to dandelions, bushes, cacti, and trees, including those often known as Willows—bundled wire forms that release into shimmering curtains, much the way a willow tree’s branches bend toward the earth.

Bertoia was fascinated with the relationship between form and sound, and he avidly pursued metal’s sonic possibilities. Three sound sculptures—one more than 11 feet tall—highlight Bertoia’s aural and visual achievements. Visitors have the rare opportunity to hear these remarkable sound sculptures activated in the galleries. Sound activations are scheduled every day at 2:30 pm. ​

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website