The lost Bertoia

December 12, 2025Newsletter Archives

Artist Harry Bertoia's life and work are intertwined with the DNA of Detroit. His first public sculpture installation was commissioned for the General Motors Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan in 1953. Bertoia’s works lived at the intersection of fine art and industrial design, embodying the modernist ethos that defined the midcentury look.

When a mall in Southfield, Michigan that housed a 1970 Bertoia sculpture was demolished, art experts feared the 26-foot-tall installation was lost forever. Miraculously, in 2017, the lost Bertoia was found intact. The piece – constructed of hundreds of steel wires coated in molten metal brass, arranged in two cloud-like shapes – was painstakingly restored. Today, it is proudly displayed as the centerpiece of GM's new global headquarters at Hudson's Detroit. 

It’s a nearly unbelievable story – one that starts in the soaring days of midcentury modernist design and travels through the dusty remains of a demolished mall – and you can read all about it on GM News. 

“Having a Harry Bertoia sculpture in our new global headquarters in Hudson’s Detroit is incredibly meaningful,” said Crystal Windham, executive director of industrial design at General Motors. “This magnificent piece, with its own story of being lost and found, bridges GM’s past with our future. It serves as a daily inspiration, a powerful symbol of the creativity and resilience that has always defined both General Motors and the city of Detroit.” 

-- Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News