Overview
S otheby’s is honored to present a public exhibition of Harry Bertoia’s legendary Sonambient Barn Collection for private sale. Individually, these sixty works represent the most superlative examples from Bertoia’s iconic Sonambient series—those which the artist retained in his personal collection for their exceptional tonal and aesthetic qualities. Collectively, they are the “Sonambient”—Bertoia’s term for the sound environment the sculptures create together. It is the culmination of Bertoia’s life’s work, fulfilling his aspiration to achieve transcendence through the integration of form, sound, space, and nature.
The Sonambient was housed in Bertoia’s historic barn at his family residence in Barto, Pennsylvania where he hosted intimate concerts for friends and colleagues. Moving intuitively throughout the space, he would strum, strike, and chime the sculptures, bringing the Sonambient to life in a profoundly spiritual and sensory event Bertoia’s vision was that the Sonambient would one day enter into a collection that would ensure it would be played, shared, and experienced by the public in a dedicated, acoustic environment. On behalf of the descendants of Harry Bertoia, it is our privilege to present this seminal collection by one of America’s most revered and innovative artists of the 20th Century.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition is free and open to the public:
7 – 15 December
For inquiries regarding the Bertoia Barn Collection, please contact the Design Department
+1 212 606 7170, 20thcenturydesign@sothebys.com
