Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Best known for his Red and Blue chair, a modernist icon created using only two plywood plates and 15 connecting bars, Dutch designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld trained as a cabinetmaker, and his bold vision for furniture was supported by his expertise in construction and craftsmanship.
Born in Utrecht, Rietveld learned goldsmithing in addition to the cabinetry apprenticeship he had in his carpenter father’s workshop. He studied draftsmanship with architect Piet Klaarhamer at the Utrecht Museum of Applied Arts and opened his own furniture workshop in 1917. In the 1930s, Rietveld began to experiment with then-unusual materials like plywood and aluminum, and he pursued intellectual concepts through his design, even considering a seat as a resting place for the body and the soul.
Designed in 1918, the minimalist Red and Blue chair is widely coveted by collectors and gained admirers in the likes of legendary American sculptor and designer Donald Judd over the years. (Examples of Rietveld’s designs can be found in Judd’s restored home-museum in New York City.) The Red and Blue chair is so stunning in its geometric simplicity that it is one of the most important symbols of the Dutch art and design movement of the early 20th century called De Stijl, of which Rietveld was an important part. De Stijl means “the Style” and was an effort to express utopian values through pure abstraction in design and the use of primary colors.
Another example of Rietveld’s celebrated seating furniture is the Zig-Zag chair, which was commissioned by the Dutch department store Metz & Co. and intended to be mass-produced. The resulting design — to which the rights to manufacture were bought by Cassina in 1971 — is the essence of the De Stijl movement and an example of Rietveld’s experiments with jointless chairs made from a single material, wood. The Zig-Zag chair’s armless, legless, elegant form is pure abstraction, yet it is also sturdy and comfortable.
Later in his career, Rietveld worked more often as an architect, designing buildings in prestigious settings like the Venice Biennale. He was a pioneer in more ways than one: The first building he designed, Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht in 1924, is a radically modern space and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
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1920s Dutch De Stijl Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Antique Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century American Country Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Wood
1930s German Other Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Ash, Wood
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Plastic
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century Hungarian Empire Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Leather
2010s Philippine Mid-Century Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Rattan
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Birch
1970s Danish Space Age Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Plastic
20th Century Dutch Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Dutch Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Plastic, Wood
20th Century Dutch Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Dutch Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Steel
Early 20th Century Dutch Modern Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Steel
1930s Dutch Modern Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Furniture
Metal
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Creators Similar to Gerrit Rietveld
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Gerrit Rietveld used a variety of materials. He was one of the first furniture makers to employ plywood and aluminum in furniture designs. Two of his most famous pieces are the Red Blue chair and the Zig Zag chair. Shop a selection of Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.
- What is Gerrit Rietveld style?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Gerrit Rietveld's style reflects the characteristics of De Stijl, a Dutch art movement active in the early 20th century. Rietveld created simple, sleek furniture designs easily manufactured in mass by machines. Shop a variety of Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.