GR-RED AND BLUE CHAIR

Architect Gerrit Rietveld designed the chair in 1917, and his craftsman Gerard van de Groenekan, from De Bilt, Netherlands, manufactured it under his supervision before 1951. It represents one of the first designs created by the De Stijl art movement. Rietveld originally designed the chair in 1917, but he applied the primary color scheme (red, blue, and yellow) later, around 1923. He aimed for simplicity in his design, envisioning furniture that manufacturers could mass-produce rather than only craft by hand. Indeed, with the Red and Blue Chair, Rietveld manipulated vertical and horizontal planes in the same way he did in architecture. He hoped that the simple rectangular design would allow for mass production and free craftsmen from hard manual labor. For instance, craftsmen made some of the first chairs for the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht, Netherlands, which Rietveld also designed in 1924. The house is one of the best-known examples of De Stijl architecture. Later, it became a museum, and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage site. Meanwhile, a reaction against the horrors of World War I founded the De Stijl art movement in the Netherlands. The movement's visual language consisted of geometric forms and primary colors, which artists used to find harmony and balance against the chaotic world events of that time. Remarkably, the Red and Blue Chair still has its original color; no one has ever repainted it. It is one of the few original ones still in existence.

Dimensions:

86 x 66 x 78 cm / 34 x 26 x 31 in

Materials:

Painted wood, aluminium

Literature:

The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Vöge, p. 58-59; Gerrit Rietveld: The Complete Works 1888-1964, Kuper and van Zijl,p. 74-76.

Terms:

Certificate of Authenticity included
Worldwide shipping available
14-day return policy

Enquiries:

on request