Sculpture Group Symbolizing World’s Communication in the Atomic Age

Harry Bertoia, Sculpture Group Symbolizing World's Communication in the Atomic Age, 1959, brazed and welded brass and bronze, 142 ¹⁄₄ x 231 ¹⁄₄ x 81 in. (361.4 x 587.4 x 205.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Zenith Corporation, 1979.107A-D

Artwork Details

Title: Sculpture Group Symbolizing World’s Communication in the Atomic Age
Artist: Harry Bertoia
Date: 1959
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 142 ¹⁄₄ x 231 ¹⁄₄ x 81 in. (361.4 x 587.4 x 205.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the Zenith Corporation
Mediums: bronze
brass
Mediums Description: brazed and welded brass and bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Abstract
Allegory — arts and sciences — technology
Allegory — element — energy
Allegory — life — Atomic Age
Object Number: 1979.107A-D
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1979.107A-D

Artwork Description

Harry Bertoia's sculptural installation reflects the optimism of the 1950s, when the economy boomed and broadcast television was transforming American culture. The largest cluster of the sculpture symbolizes the world transmitting light to the smaller forms that represent sight, sound, and electronic control, each of which also emits luminous impulses. Bertoia explained that "we live in a time dominated by...invisible forces....these [are] elements of the atomic and electronic age that I am trying to give sculptural shape and form." Bertoia's vision of global communications is a reality today, as satellites constantly receive and transmit signals for broadcast, cell phone, and computer communications.