GR-RED AND BLUE CHAIR

GR-RED AND BLUE CHAIR

It was designed by architect Gerrit Rietveld in 1917 and manufactured under his supervision before 1951 by his craftsmen Gerald van de Groenekan, De Bilt from Netherlands. It represents one of the first designs done by the De Stijl art movement.

Chair was originally designed in 1917 but variant painted in primary colors (red, blue, yellow) was applied later around 1923. Rietveld aimed for simplicity in his design. He designed furniture expected to be mass produced, not just handcrafted. With Red and Blue Chair Rietveld manipulated with vertical and horizontal planes in the same way he did in architecture. He hoped that the simple rectangular design would allow mass production and free the craftsmen from hard manual labor. Some of the first chair productions were made for the “Rietveld Schröder House” in Utrecht, Netherlands, also designed by Rietveld in 1924. The house is one of the best known examples of De Stijl architecture. Later it was converted into museum and listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

The De Stijl art movement was founded in Netherlands as the reaction against the horrors of World War I. The visual language of the movement was consisted of geometric forms and primary colours, which were used to find harmony and balance against the chaotic world events of that time.

The chair has its original colour and has never been repainted. It it one of the few original once which are existing.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

86 x 66 x 78 cm

34 x 26 x 31 in

Material:

Painted wood, aluminium

Condition:

Original paint, no restoration

Provenance:

Acquired directly from Gerrit Rietveld by Mr. and Mrs. Engels, Curaçao; private collection; auction in 2022.

Literature:

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

MB-TI-1A

MB-TI-1A

Wooden-slat chair called “TI-1a” is an authentic Bauhaus item designed by Marcel Breuer in 1922-1924 and crafted at the Bauhaus in Weimar. Breuer was a modernist architect, sculptor and furniture designer, best known for the design of the most iconic chairs of 20th century. He was one of the first students, pioneers and later the teacher of the Bauhaus movement as well as of the International Style.

Wooden- slat chair was made during Breuer’s firstyears at the Bauhaus school in Weimar. Its head of the school department, the architect Walter Gro-pius, immediately recognised Breuer’s talent and promoted him within a year to the head of the carpentry shop. At the Bauhaus, Breuer produced the furniture for Gropius’ Sommerfeld House in Berlin as well as his acclaimed series of “African”and “Slatted” chairs. Breuer did remarkable design with this wooden-slat chair where he used a cantilevered frame as the construction manner for the first time. The chair also represents an important series of collaborations between Breuer and the Bauhaus weaving workshops, led by German textile artist Gunta Stölzl.

While the first version of 1922 used still two different kinds of wood slats, square and rectangular once, this second version got more radical and used for everything the same dimension of slats, expressing a much stronger dynamic in the shape. The chair has rigid wooden structure which is softened by the woven fabric that allows for a gently sloping seat and back.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

96.5 x 56 x 62 cm

38 x 22 x 24.5 in

Material:

Oak wood, fabric

Condition:

Original condition, no restoration

Provenance:

Bauhaus School, Weimar; private collection; auction, 2022.

Literature:

Cat. Bauhaus Archive Berlin, The Collection, Berlin 1987, p. 90.

GR-ELLING SIDEBOARD

GR-ELLING SIDEBOARD

‘Elling’sideboard was designed 1919 and executed in ca. 1974, just two years after the introduction of Gerrit Rietveld’s famous Red-Blue chair. He debuted this extraordinary table in oak. It was displayed in 1920 at the Voor de Kunst in Utrecht and purchased there by the Dutch architect Piet Elling (1897-1962). This early example was tragically destroyed by fire. The model was re-introduced in 1958 and made in a very limited quantity by one of Rietveld’s most trusted cabinetmakers, Gerard van de Groenekan (1904-1994). Groenekan began working for Rietveld as a sixteen-year old and eventually took over the woodworking facility in 1928 when Rietveld decided to focus on a career in architecture.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

104 x 200 x 45 cm
41 x 78.75 x 17.75 in

Material:

Painted and stained beech

Provenance:

Gerard van de Groenekan, de Bilt, Netherlands; collection of Frederieke Sanders Taylor, circa 1974; auction 2023.

Literature:

M. Kuper, I. van Zijl, Gerrit Th. Rietveld 1888-1964, Utrecht, 1992, p. 78-79; P. Voge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Rotterdam, 1993, p. 10, 15, 52-53; A. Dosi Delfini, The Furniture Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Rotterdam/Amsterdam, 2004, p. 296, no. 448; I. van Zijl, Gerrit Rietveld, New York, 2010, p. 33-34.

MB-301

MB-301

Rare chair model known as “no. WB 301” designed by Marcel Breuer, ca. 1933-1934.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

75 x 38 x 50 cm
29.5 x 15 x 19.75 in

Material:

Lacquered steel, painted wood

BG-LIDO CHAIR

BG-LIDO CHAIR

Early version of the famous Lido “sun chair” created by Swiss designers and brothers Battista and Gino Giudici in ca. 1935, and manufactured by Fratelli Giudici, Locarno for Wohnbedarf AG in ca. 1946.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

98 x 56 x 104 cm
38.5 x 22 x 41 in

Material:

Galvanized steel, canvas

Exhibitions:

This specific item was exhibited at the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman in 2023.

GR-STELTMAN CHAIR

GR-STELTMAN CHAIR

“Steltman Stoel” was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1963 and produced by Gerard van de Groenekan, Utrecht, before 1971. It is right-handed version. Signed by hand “G.A.v.d. Groenekan”.

This chair design was commissioned by Steltman, a jeweller in The Hague, for whom Rietveld designed a new shop interior in 1963. The original chair was completely upholstered with rubber foam and covered with white imitation leather, the seams of which ran along the edges of the wood. The version with the wooden seat was only produced after Rietveld’s death in 1964. With this last and more simple version, the 75-year-old created one of the most striking pieces of furniture in the history of design.

Gerard A. van de Groenekan began working in Gerrit Rietveld’s workshop in Utrecht in 1917 at the age of fourteen. In 1924, Rietveld decided to concentrate on architecture and left furniture production in the hands of van de Groenekan, who then continued to build many of Rietveld’s models, including older ones, under his own name. Van de Groenekan played a decisive role in the development of many designs, including this version of the Steltman chair with its wooden seat.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

70 x 45.5 x 48.5 cm
25.5 x 18 x 19 in

Material:

White painted oak

Condition:

Original paint, no restoration

Provenance:

Acquired directly from Gerard van de Groenekan by the current owner in 1982; auction 2023.

Literature:

Cf. Baroni, The Furniture of Gerrit Rietveld, New York 1978, p. 158, no. 68;
Cf. Barry Friedman Gallery Ltd (ed.), Gerrit Rietveld: A Centenary Exhibition, New York 1988, p. 60;
Cf. Kuper/van Zijl, The Complete Works of Gerrit Rietveld, Utrecht 1992, pp. 332 and 341, no. 646;
Cf. Vöge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Rotterdam 1993, p. 166, no. 371;
Cf. von Zijl, Gerrit Rietveld. Die Revolution des Raums, Weil am Rhein 2012.

GR-BERLIN CHAIR

GR-BERLIN CHAIR

Iconic “Berlin chair” was designed in 1923 by Gerrit Rietveld, and manufactured by G.A.v.d. Groenekan De Bilt Nederland in between 1972-1974. Beside the “Red and Blue chair”, this is the one of the most famous Rietveld designs. The first chair design was made for the ‘Juryfreie Kunstschau’ in Berlin and two following variations were made for the boardroom of the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. The second version of the chair had a cushion and higher backrest.

It is made in oak wood planks and lacquered in white, black and grey colour. The armrests of the chair can be moved both to the left or right position.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

106 x 73 x 57 cm

41.75 x 28.75 x 22.50 in

Material:

Painted oak, laminated wood

Condition:

Original paint, no restoration

Provenance:

Private Collection, Christie’s, Amsterdam, 20th Century Decorative Arts, 18 November 2003, Lot 332, Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd.

Literature:

Gerrit Th. Rietveld – The Complete Works, Kuper and van Zijl, p. 92 The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Voge, p. 60.

EG-SAFARI CHAIR

EG-SAFARI CHAIR

Safari” armchair designed and owned by Eileen Gray. It has cylindrical base and grey painted wood structure. Armrests, seat and tilting back are made in leather. Piece is authentic and made around 1932.

Price

on request

Dimensions:

77 x 60 x 60 cm
30.25 x 23.50 x 23.50 in

Material:

Painted wood, leather

Provenance:

Sale collection Eileen Gray, Monaco May 1980; private collection; auction 2023.

Literature:

Peter Adam Eileen Gray architect/designer revised edition, Harry N. Abrams Inc, 2000 pp 124-125, Peter Adam Eileen Gray Leben und Werk by Peter Adam, Schirmer/Mosel edition, 2009 page 287; Similar model reproduced in color in Eileen Gray Leben und Werk by Peter Adam, Schirmer/Mosel edition, 2009 p 287; Lot presented and reproduced in the catalog of the sale Sotheby’s Parke Bernet Monaco S.A. Collection Eileen Gray furniture, objects and projects of its creation 25 May 1980 Sporting d’Hiver, Monte Carlo under the number 260.

Exhibitions:

Eileen Gray, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, February-May 2013; Eileen Gray, Irish museum of Modern Art, Dublin, October 2013 to January 2014.