Qualifications for Inclusion

	Harry Bertoia in his Bally, PA studio. Image courtesy of the Harry Bertoia Foundation.

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 formal artistic practice. Artworks eligible for the catalogue raisonné include:

• Artworks from the following categories of Bertoia’s practice: design, sculpture, Sonambient, and two-dimensional works
• Artworks created by Bertoia that are now considered lost or destroyed, when there is sufficient documentation of the work’s prior existence and authenticity
• Artworks designed by Bertoia but fabricated by others following the artist’s instructions
• Reproductions and editions of original artworks by Bertoia, authorized by the artist and made during his lifetime
• Preparatory models indicated as a formal artwork by the artist (e.g. through presentation, exhibition, sale, gift, etc.)

The following works are not considered for inclusion in the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné:

• Posthumous works, or works unfinished at the time of the artist’s death
• Juvenilia (works made by the artist prior to 1935)
• Objects and/or elements discarded by the artist or not intended for presentation as a discrete or fully realized artwork; these include:
  • Fragments of sculptures, designs, or two-dimensional works not intended as stand-alone artworks 
  • Material studies and experiments, such as sculptural test objects
  • Documentation of fabrication and design processes, such as diagrams and sketches, as well as notations related to construction
  • Drawn “receipts,” inventories, or work records made by Bertoia in conjunction with the creation of a sculpture or other type of artwork
• Photographs taken by the artist and other personal or professional ephemera related to the artist
• Individual objects fabricated or manufactured in quantities greater than 50; works produced in larger editions, including Bertoia’s furniture pieces, Sonambient LP recordings, and Fifty Drawings publication, are cataloged with a single entry representing the artist’s original design for these objects
• 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 authenticity, or without adequate documentation or provenance

The Harry Bertoia Foundation is conducting research into the many works under consideration for inclusion in the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné. These works will be added if they are found to meet the criteria listed above. The absence of a work does not necessarily indicate that it is by an artist other than Bertoia, but rather that research is ongoing or the currently available evidence does not meet our qualifications for inclusion. Please note that while previously issued certificates of authenticity may be taken into consideration during the research and review process, they do not guarantee inclusion in the catalogue raisonné.

Please also note that archival material, such as sketches and illustrated studio records and receipts, may be published on the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné website. While these works are by Harry Bertoia, they were not intended for public presentation nor exhibited during his lifetime or otherwise identified as fully realized artworks by the artist, and thus will not be assigned a catalogue raisonné number. They are included on the project website in order to help visitors better understand crucial elements of Bertoia’s working process.

Exhibitions

All known solo, group, and traveling exhibitions that featured the artwork (as defined above) of Harry Bertoia both during his lifetime and after are included in the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné. At this time, the following exhibitions will not be included:

• Exhibitions featuring only mass-produced examples of Bertoia’s furniture designs
• Auction house showroom presentations

Literature

The Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné includes writings by and about Bertoia from books, monographs, exhibition catalogues, articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers, online publications, reviews, other types of published essays, lectures, and other academic sources such as doctoral dissertations. Literature that does not make significant reference to artworks by Bertoia is also added when relevant to the understanding of the artist’s life and career. Sources not currently incorporated in the bibliography of the Harry Bertoia Catalogue Raisonné include:

• Advertisements, press releases, and other publicity materials
• Annual reports, recent acquisition announcements, newsletters, and similar internal publications from corporate or non-profit organizations
• Articles and other information related solely to the Harry Bertoia Foundation and its activities
• Auction or sales catalogues, unless the catalogue contains a substantive scholarly essay related to a work or works by Bertoia