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.
Find vintage Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.
High Chair, Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld, Netherlands, 1951
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Antwerp, BE
Executed in 1951 by G.A. van de Groenekan after an early 1920s design by Gerrit Rietveld, this chair represents an important continuation of De Stijl principles into mid-century prod...
Wood
$100,775
H 29.53 in W 25.6 in D 23.63 in
High Chair, Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld, Netherlands, design ca. 1920
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Antwerp, BE
Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld, this high chair is based on a design developed circa 1920, belonging to the earliest phase of his exploration into slat-based furniture. This particula...
Wood, Oak
Gerrit Rietveld, Steltman Chair / Authentic
By Gerrit Rietveld Jr.
Located in Zürich, CH
The relationship between the different shapes ensures a balanced composition. The careful alignment and proportions create an equilibrium, giving a sense of coherent design. Both ten...
Oak
$1,441
H 41.34 in W 18.12 in D 16.54 in
Modernist Dutch Children Chair in the Style of Gerrit Rietveld, circa 1950
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, ES
Modernist Dutch children chair, manufactured in by unknown manufacturer in Holland, circa 1950. In good original condition, preserving a beautiful patina.
Wood
$1,370
H 33.47 in W 16.15 in D 16.15 in
Huizenga NV Bastille Chair by Piet Blom, 1960s, De Stijl, Rietveld, Mondrian
By Piet Blom
Located in CULEMBORG, GE
Piet Blom was a famous Dutch architect, mostly known for his iconic Cube houses in Rotterdam and Helmond, The Netherlands. One of his early assignments was the design of a student restaurant for the Technical University Twente, called the ‘Bastille’. For this restaurant, Blom also designed the chairs, to be manufactured by Huizenga in 1965. Made of black and red lacquered wood, the ‘Bastille’ chair features a straight structure, round seat and curved back and legrest. With its unique constructivist shape, the chair is often seen as a homage to Gerrit Rietveld and De Stijl. Only 400 of these chairs were ever made and less than 200...
Wood
Price Upon Request
H 27.56 in W 19.3 in D 17.64 in
Steltman chair by Gerrit Rietveld, double stamp G.A. van de Groenekan & Cassina
By Gerard van de Groenekan, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in EVERDINGEN, NL
A limed oak Steltman chair, ca. 1973. Only a couple of dozen (40-50) of Steltmans were ever made, which makes this design icon an extremely rare piece. As one of the final projects ...
Oak
Gerrit Rietveld, Berlin Chair / Authentic
By Gerrit Rietveld Jr.
Located in Zürich, CH
The relationship between the different shapes ensures a balanced composition. The careful alignment and proportions create an equilibrium, giving a sense of coherent design. Both ten...
Oak
$12,850
H 41.74 in W 28.75 in D 22.45 in
Gerrit Rietveld Berlin Chair – Exhibition-Provenance Example, Early 1990s
By Gerrit Rietveld Jr.
Located in Dronten, NL
For the true connoisseur of De Stijl and modernist canon: an exceptionally rare Gerrit Rietveld Berlin Chair, executed in the early 1990s ...
Plywood
Modernist Steel Chair
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Surbiton, GB
A mid century Modernist chair featuring a sculptural steel frame reminiscent of Gerrit Rietveld's early work with metal. Dimensions (cm, approx): Height: 91 Width: 41 Depth: 45 Hei...
Metal
Rare Chair with Lacquered Plywood by Gerrit Jr. Rietveld, 1954
By Gerrit Rietveld Jr.
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
This rare chair, designed by Gerrit Rietveld Jr., seamlessly blends modernist functionality with innovative details. Featuring a yellow painted plywood seat and backrest supported by...
Metal
