Gerrit Rietveld
| Gerrit Rietveld | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Gerard Thomas Rietveld 24 June 1888 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Died | 25 June 1964 (aged 76) Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Resting place |
Soestbergen Cemetery Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Monuments | [1] |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Furniture designer, architect |
| Known for |
Red and Blue Chair (1917) Schröder House (1924) |
| Spouse(s) | Vrouwgien Hadders (1883-1957) |
| Partner(s) | Truus Schröder-Schräder |
| Website | http://www.gerrit-rietveld.nl/ |
![[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Begraafplaats_Soestbergen_Utrecht_13_Gerrit_Rietveld.JPG){kind=link}
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣɛrɪt ˈtoːmɑs ˈritfɛlt]; 24 June 1888 – 25 June 1964) was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. One of the principal members of the Dutch artistic movement called De Stijl, Rietveld is famous for his Red and Blue Chair and for the Rietveld Schröder House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rietveld was born in Utrecht in 1888 as the son of a joiner. He left school at 11 to be apprenticed to his father and enrolled at night school before working as a draughtsman for C. J. Begeer, a jeweller in Utrecht, from 1906 to 1911. By the time he opened his own furniture workshop in 1917, Rietveld had taught himself drawing, painting and model-making. He afterwards set up in business as a cabinet-maker.
Rietveld designed his famous Red and Blue Chair in 1917. Hoping that much of his furniture would eventually be mass-produced rather than handcrafted, Rietveld aimed for simplicity in construction. In 1918, he started his own furniture factory, and changed the chair's colours after becoming influenced by the 'De Stijl' movement, of which he became a member in 1919, the same year in which he became an architect. The contacts that he made at De Stijl gave him the opportunity to exhibit abroad as well. In 1923, Walter Gropius invited Rietveld to exhibit at the Bauhaus. He built, the Rietveld Schröder House, in 1924, in close collaboration with the owner Truus Schröder-Schräder. Built in Utrecht on the Prins Hendriklaan 50, the house has a conventional ground floor, but is radical on the top floor, lacking fixed walls but instead relying on sliding walls to create and change living spaces. The design seems like a three-dimensional realization of a Mondrian painting. The house has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. His involvement in the Schröder House exerted a strong influence on Truus' daughter, Han Schröder, who became one of the first female architects in the Netherlands.
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