Catalogue Raisonné Application – Copy

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné Project seeks to document and research the diverse and extensive artistic practice of the Italian-American artist Harry Bertoia (1915-1978). The goal is to provide a comprehensive record and resource of the artist’s work, and will include his painting, graphics (including monotypes), furniture, jewelry, metalwork, sound recordings, and sculpture. An ongoing project, the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné will be available online, published in stages, and regularly updated to reflect ongoing research. It will be accessible to scholars, educators, collectors, arts professionals, and any member of the public wishing to gain a deeper understanding of Bertoia’s work.

Please note: the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné project does not authenticate or provide valuations of Harry Bertoia artworks.

Submissions

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné project relies on the knowledge of collectors, dealers, and scholars. Current and former collectors of work by Harry Bertoia are invited to contact the project and/or submit a work(s) to be considered for inclusion. We also welcome new information on exhibitions and literature that include work by Bertoia or other relevant information to project.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Marin R. Sullivan
Director, Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné Project
marinsullivan@harrybertoia.org

Complete the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné form electronically by clicking here. Fill out the form and email to Dr. Marin R. Sullivan.

To mail submissions, please complete and mail the form to:

The Harry Bertoia Foundation
1449 N 1400 W, B-11
St. George, UT 84770
USA

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné project is committed to the privacy of collectors. Ownership information submitted to the project is intended for internal research purposes only, and will not be made public in the digital Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné without prior approval.

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné observes the following Qualifications for Inclusion:

ARTWORKS

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné project defines “artwork” as an object conceived of and created or authorized by Harry Bertoia during his lifetime and intended to be a part of his artistic practice. The present scope of research scheduled for publication in the digital Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné include:

• Artworks from the following categories of Bertoia’s practice:

• Paintings
• Graphics, including: wood block prints; drawings; monotypes; and any work on paper indicated as a formal artwork by the artist
• Furniture, including: each of Bertoia’s original designs for Knoll and any prototypes fabricated by Bertoia
• Jewelry
• Metalwork
• Recordings
• Sculpture, including: large-scale commissions; sounding sculptures; and other discrete, three-dimensional objects

• Artworks created by Bertoia considered lost or destroyed, when there is sufficient documentation of the work’s prior existence
• Artworks designed by Bertoia, but fabricated by others following the artist’s instructions
• Reproductions of original artworks by Bertoia, authorized and made during the artist’s lifetime

Objects not included in the present scope of research or not considered for publication in the digital Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Works unfinished at the time of the artist’s death
• Posthumous works (works begun and/or completed after the artist’s death)
• Objects and elements discarded by the artist or not intended for presentation as a discrete artwork
• Material and technical studies or experiments
• Photographs taken by the artist and other ephemera related to the artist
• Individual objects fabricated or manufacturer in quantities greater than 10 (particularly relevant to Bertoia’s furniture, these are instead represented by a single “design” entry)
• Works created in the “style of” Bertoia by another individual
• Reproductions of original artworks by Bertoia not made by or authorized by the artist
• Works of questionable attribution or without adequate documentation

EXHIBITIONS

The list of exhibitions includes all solo and group exhibitions that featured the work of Harry Bertoia during his lifetime as well as selected exhibitions following the artist’s death.

At this time, the following exhibitions will not be included in the digital publication of the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné:

• Exhibitions featuring only mass-produced examples of Bertoia furniture
• Dealer and auction house showroom presentation
• Internally exhibited selections from public or private collections
• Permanent or semi-permanent displays of objects

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The bibliography includes writings by and about Harry Bertoia from books, essays, lectures, journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, exhibition catalogues, monographs, and other sources such as doctoral dissertations. Literature that does not make significant reference to artworks in the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné is also included when relevant to the understanding of Bertoia’s career.

Literature not currently scheduled for publication in the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné includes:

• Advertisements and other publicity materials
• Annual reports or recent acquisition publications from arts and other non-profit institutions
• Articles and other information related solely to the Harry Bertoia Foundation and its activities
• Auction or sales catalogues (unless otherwise noted due the inclusion of substantial, verified primary source material)