Gerrit Thomas Rietveld - Design & Design Art New York Thursday, December 13, 2007 | Phillips

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  • Exhibited

    Gerrit Rietveld, Galerie Ulrich Fiedler, Cologne, 2001

  • Literature

    Daniele Baroni, The Furniture of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, New York, 1978, pp. 140-149 for various examples and drawings; Peter Vöge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Rotterdam, 1993, p. 23, fig. 29 for an example of the chair with cushions, p. 89, figs. 133 and 135 for the table and chairs; Gerrit Rietveld, exh. cat., Galerie Ulrich Fiedler, Cologne, 2001, the chairs illustrated p. 30

  • Artist Biography

    Gerrit Thomas Rietveld

    Dutch • 1888 - 1964

    Gerrit Thomas Rietveld began as an apprentice in his father's cabinetmaking workshop, going on to train and work as a draftsman. In 1917 he started his own furniture-making workshop in Utrecht. Positive critical review by Theo van Doesburg in his journal De Stijl resulted in near-instantaneous influence on broader developments in European modernism. This connection to the De Stijl movement also inspired him to introduce color to the posts, rails and terminals of his furniture. His resulting "Red-blue" armchair is among the most iconic chair designs of the twentieth century.

    From the beginning, Rietveld embraced modernist principles of functionalism, simplicity of form and mass-production, and eventually moved away from De Stijl to become a member of the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM). Rietveld worked through the post-war years, completing a number of private residences, housing developments and institutions. He continued to design furniture for these commissions as well as for retailers like Metz & Co.

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41

Pair of “Crate” lounge chairs and “Crate” coffee table

ca. 1934
Stained pine.
One chair: 24 5/8 in. (62.5 cm) high; the other chair: 23 3/4 in. (60.3 cm) high; table: 18 1/2 x 24 7/8 x 19 1/8 in. (47 x 63.2 x 48.6 cm)
Manufactured by Metz & Co., The Netherlands (3).

Estimate
$10,000 - 15,000 

Sold for $20,000

Design & Design Art

13 Dec 2007, 2pm
New York