Gerrit Thomas Rietveld - Design Day Sale London Wednesday, April 27, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Oudegracht 55, Utrecht, 1934
    Thence by descent to Wim Rietveld
    Private collection, circa 1965
    Sotheby's, Amsterdam, '20th Century Decorative Arts & Design', 23 November, 2006, lot 252

  • Literature

    Theodore M. Brown, The work of G. Rietveld architect, Utrecht, 1958, pp. 102, 104, 116, 125 for images and a drawing
    Daniele Baroni, The Furniture of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, New York, 1978, pp. 136-37 for images and a technical drawing
    Marijke Küper and Ida van Zijl, Gerrit Th. Rietveld 1888-1964, The Complete Works, exh. cat., Centraal Museum, Utrecht, 1992, p. 147
    Peter Vöge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Rotterdam, 1993, p. 83 for the model
    Alexander von Vegesack, et al., eds., 100 Masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum Collection, exh. cat., Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, 1996, p. 113, cat. no. 43

  • 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.

    View More Works

127

Early 'Zig-Zag' chair

1934-1939
Stained pine, brass nails, steel nails.
75.2 x 37.5 x 42.5 cm (29 5/8 x 14 3/4 x 16 3/4 in.)
Produced by Gerard van de Groenekan, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Paper label on seat back with N1.

Estimate
£15,000 - 25,000 Ω

Sold for £18,750

Contact Specialist
Madalena Horta e Costa
Head of Sale
+44 20 7318 4019

Design Day Sale

London Auction 28 April 2016