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Artwork: Sculpture
S.WI.25
Untitled
Alternate titles: Commission for 510 Fifth Avenue; Commission for Manufacturers Trust Building
1954
Stainless steel wire
216 x 144 x 36 in. (548.6 x 365.8 x 91.4 cm)
Along with a monumental multiplane screen, architect Gordon Bunshaft, on behalf of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and its client, Manufacturers Trust Bank, commissioned Bertoia to make this hanging "cloud" sculpture for the the main banking area on the second floor of the bank's new building, located at 510 Fifth Avenue in New York, NY. In 2011, the interior of 510 Fifth Avenue became landmarked, and in 2012, SOM renovated the building and adapted it for retail. While the screen was temporarily removed, the sculpture remains in its original location, on permanent loan from the JP Morgan Art Collection.
Provenance
Manufacturers Trust Company, New York, 1954 (commissioned)
Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, New York, 1961 (by transfer)
Chemical Bank, New York, 1992 (by transfer)
JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, 1996 (by transfer)
Published References
Mumford 1954
Mumford, Lewis. "Crystal Lantern." The New Yorker 30 (November 13, 1954), p. 202.The New Yorker 1954
"Talk of the Town: Showcase." The New Yorker 30, no. 33 (October 2, 1954), p. 25.Architectural Record 1954a
"Manufacturers Trust Company Builds Conversation Piece on Fifth Avenue." Architectural Record 116, no. 5 (November 1954), ill. in b/w, p. 152.New York Times 1954b
"15,000 Ooh and Ah at Opening of Dazzling, 'Newfangled' Bank." The New York Times, October 5, 1954, p. 29.Arts & Architecture 1955
"Metal Sculpture—Harry Bertoia." Arts & Architecture 72, no. 1 (January 1955), ill. in b/w, p. 18.Elson 1957
Elson, Katharine. "Architect Designs New Furniture." Washington Post, March 24, 1957, p. F16.Minneapolis Star 1958
"Space, Form, and Metal." The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, MN), January 22, 1958, p. 1C.Reading Times 1959
"KSTC Opening Art Conference Tomorrow." Reading Times (Reading, PA), November 5, 1959.Tulsa Tribune 1959a
"Bank 'Rain Tree' to Shed Pipe Dreams." The Tulsa Tribune (Tulsa, OK), June 5, 1959, p. 22.Hakanson 1962a
Hakanson, Joy. "Sculptor Back at Cranbrook to Describe His Latest Work." The Detroit News, November 20, 1962, as Commission for Manufacturers Trust Building.Ditmer 1966
Ditmer, Joanne. "Raising the Roof: Bertoia Chair 'Made of Air.'" The Denver Post, May 29, 1966, p. 32.Meilach and Seiden 1966
Meilach, Dona and Don Seiden. Direct Metal Sculpture: Creative Techniques and Appreciation. New York: Crown, 1966, ill. in b/w.Huxtable 2010
Huxtable, Ada Louise. "A Landmark Jewel Box Loses Its Biggest Gem." The Wall Street Journal (New York, NY), November 4, 2010.Stoelker 2012
Stoelker, Tom. "Glass Half Full." The Architect's Newspaper (New York, NY), February 11, 2012.Sullivan 2016
Sullivan, Marin R. "Alloyed Screens: Harry Bertoia and the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Building-510 Fifth Avenue." Sculpture Journal 25, no. 3 (2016), ill. in b/w, p. 363, as Commission for Manufacturers Trust Building.
Record last updated February 14, 2025. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Harry Bertoia Foundation. "Untitled, 1954 (S.WI.25)." In Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné. catalogue.harrybertoia.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=989 (accessed on April 21, 2025).