CHRIS BERTI
VIEWING ROOM
Chris Berti’s recent work features human and animal figures carved from stone. His process balances form and image: simplified figures emerge from carefully composed bases, often appearing meditative, inward, and self-contained. Carving allows Berti to retain the essential shape of his material while subtly revealing the image, much like an archaeologist uncovering an artifact.
His work reflects a deep understanding of material, informed by years of study and observation. Influences range from Etruscan art and Southeast Asian temples to Indian sandstone sculpture and Italian carvings. Across these traditions, Berti finds a timeless spirit—one he hopes to echo through the compact scale, delicate rendering, and quiet mystery of his own work.
Berti holds a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Years after graduation, he inherited a set of stone-carving tools from his grandfather, a New York City bricklayer. That gift led him to explore limestone and salvaged brick, carving patiently until each form reveals itself.
Selected Public Collections
Swedish National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Brooks Museum, Millikin University, Decatur, IL; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL; Lafayette Museum of Art, Lafayette, IN; Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; Montreal Museum of Art, Montreal, Quebec; National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts; South Bend Art Museum, South Bend, IN; Southern Illinois University Museum, Carbondale, IL; Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
MESSENGER
Carve Marble
7”h x 4 1/2”w x 6”d
The inspiration for Messenger started with a childhood discovery of a Mercury dime. Berti was fascinated to learn the figure was modeled after a woman—Elsie Stevens—though it represents a male god. This idea of transformation and tribute led him to create Messenger in marble, honoring Elsie and his sisters through a classical lens, using marble to echo classical Greek sculpture.
CATFISH
Carved Basalt
3 1/4”h x 4 1/4”w x 7”d
BIRD NEST FONT
Carved Basalt
5”h x 8”w x 8”d
“Inspired by Japanese stone water basins, birds w/nests, and holy water fonts, Bird Font integrates water in its center in an essential way by containing it in a reservoir to reflect on. The three carved relief birds fly and encircle the little pool where a carved whirlpool is magnified by the water above it. The carved black basalt creates contrast for the lighter recessed areas while maybe adding to its mystery.”
-Chris Berti