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, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Zenith Corporation, 1979.107A-D
Copied 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
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
Mediums Description
brazed and welded brass and bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — life — Atomic Age
  • Allegory — element — energy
  • Allegory — arts and sciences — technology
  • Abstract
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.