A 50-year Saga with a Bertoia Gong

A simple round gong, 6 feet in diameter, began its public life in Olso, Norway, but just recently moved to the Athens, Greece, US embassy!

OSLO EMBASSY BEGINNINGS

Through mutual friend Bud West (Harry’s best man at his 1942 wedding), Harry Bertoia was introduced to Kaare Berntsen of Oslo, Norway in 1976. The Berntsen Gallery became a hotspot for Bertoia sculptures in the last years of Harry’s life, and several exhibitions resulted from the friendship. Harry traveled to Norway twice and remarked at how fresh and rejuvenated he felt after the visits. One of the results of Berntsen’s influence was a large round gong going to the US embassy in Oslo. It hung over a reflecting pond and made for an impressive entry into the embassy. Goldfish swam beneath it.

DUBLIN, DUSSELDORF, and ATHENS

Fast forward to 2019… the Oslo embassy moved to a new location which could no longer accommodate the gong. The curator of embassy buildings, Joseph Angemi, devised a plan of a “gong garden” at the US embassy in Dublin, Scotland. The Bertoia round gong, along with a second Bertoia gong that had once been in Dusseldorf, Germany, plus a third gong of Scottish origin, would grace the gardens near the embassy. In the meantime, the ambassador’s back yard became the temporary home for the gong; lucky fellow. The Dusseldorf rectangular gong was the first Bertoia gong ever made in 1956. The round gong was made of silicon bronze and consisted of two welded plates with a built-in hanging apparatus. The double-walled gongs of Bertoia have a deep resonant tone that can carry for miles. The 10’ gong over his gravesite can be heard over 3 miles away. See the Dusseldorf gong below.

FINAL HOME IN ATHENS EMBASSY

After several frustrating years in Dublin, the administrative and logistical obstacles became too great and another solution was sought. Angemi the curator, much to his credit, kept me informed of the changing plans. In 2026, the Athens, Greece, US embassy became the new home for the 72” gong. It was placed in the atrium of the recently completed building with plenty of space around it. In Oslo, it was over water, not reachable, and thus never activated. In Athens, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio is clearly reveling in playing the gong at the dedication ceremony! Greece was historically the first home of democracy, thus many speeches referring to the remarkable trajectory of democracy ensued, but I wonder if the audience may have much more enjoyed the simple sounding of the gong! The gong, made by an American artist, seems a fitting final grand touch to the embassy. The 50-year journey has a happy ending. Many thanks to Joseph Angemi for seeing this project through to a satisfying result. Harry would be pleased.

Secretary Marco Rubio holds a meet and greet for embassy workers and families at U.S. Embassy Athens in Greece, October 7, 2026. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

GRAVE GONG

See Harry’s grave gong below. He installed it several years before his death, not knowing how significant it would soon become. To read more about gongs, check here: https://harrybertoia.org/gongs/