Gerrit Rietveld 1958 Unesco Press Room Chair for Spectrum, 'Colourful Vintage'
About the Item
- Creator:'t Spectrum (Manufacturer),Gerrit Rietveld (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 26.38 in (67 cm)Depth: 30.71 in (78 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2021
- Production Type:New & Custom(Current Production)
- Estimated Production Time:11-12 weeks
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Tilburg, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5892226370102
Gerrit Rietveld
Best known for his Red and Blue chair, a modernist icon created using only two plywood plates and 15 connecting bars, Dutch designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld trained as a cabinetmaker, and his bold vision for furniture was supported by his expertise in construction and craftsmanship.
Born in Utrecht, Rietveld learned goldsmithing in addition to the cabinetry apprenticeship he had in his carpenter father’s workshop. He studied draftsmanship with architect Piet Klaarhamer at the Utrecht Museum of Applied Arts and opened his own furniture workshop in 1917. In the 1930s, Rietveld began to experiment with then-unusual materials like plywood and aluminum, and he pursued intellectual concepts through his design, even considering a seat as a resting place for the body and the soul.
Designed in 1918, the minimalist Red and Blue chair is widely coveted by collectors and gained admirers in the likes of legendary American sculptor and designer Donald Judd over the years. (Examples of Rietveld’s designs can be found in Judd’s restored home-museum in New York City.) The Red and Blue chair is so stunning in its geometric simplicity that it is one of the most important symbols of the Dutch art and design movement of the early 20th century called De Stijl, of which Rietveld was an important part. De Stijl means “the Style” and was an effort to express utopian values through pure abstraction in design and the use of primary colors.
Another example of Rietveld’s celebrated seating furniture is the Zig-Zag chair, which was commissioned by the Dutch department store Metz & Co. and intended to be mass-produced. The resulting design — to which the rights to manufacture were bought by Cassina in 1971 — is the essence of the De Stijl movement and an example of Rietveld’s experiments with jointless chairs made from a single material, wood. The Zig-Zag chair’s armless, legless, elegant form is pure abstraction, yet it is also sturdy and comfortable.
Later in his career, Rietveld worked more often as an architect, designing buildings in prestigious settings like the Venice Biennale. He was a pioneer in more ways than one: The first building he designed, Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht in 1924, is a radically modern space and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Find vintage Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.
't Spectrum
Dutch furniture company ‘t Spectrum — later Spectrum — was established in 1941 with a run of pieces that were spare and outwardly industrial in appearance. Its early armchairs and dining chairs were often framed in tubular metal, and boast clearly defined lines and minimal curves. The vintage ‘t Spectrum seating in the decades that followed, which was designed by the likes of Gerrit Rietveld and Wim van Gelderen, is characterized by the angular forms and Pop art-hued colors that we associate with the best of mid-century modernism.
‘t Spectrum emerged in 1941 as an offshoot of the Dutch fabric manufacturer De Ploeg. When a shortage of textiles and other materials took shape owing to the demands of the Second World War, De Ploeg director Piet Blijenburg changed gears, and sought to broaden the manufacturer’s offerings as well as prevent the company's employees from being forced into work for occupying military forces.
‘t Spectrum was a brand devoted to furniture and interiors — as well as goods and decor for the home such as coat racks, napkin rings and beds. Legendary modernist furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld — an integral part of the Dutch art and design movement of the early 20th century called De Stijl — was brought on in a supervisory role in its early days, and designer Martin Visser was installed to oversee the production of furniture.
The end of the war brought a greater availability of metals and other materials to ‘t Spectrum, which became more focused on creating affordable furniture for the era’s new homeowners. A new factory designed by Rietveld was built in Bergeijk in 1957. During the late 1960s, ‘t Spectrum offered a richer range of furnishings, incorporating alluring hardwoods and leathers as part of sophisticated lines of seating and other pieces designed in the mid-century modern style. Visser recruited the likes of Friso Kramer, Benno Premsela, Constant Nieuwenhuys and others to design for ‘t Spectrum over the years.
With competition for cheaper furniture on the rise in the 1970s, ‘t Spectrum liquidated in 1974. A group of employees acquired the designs and continued the company under the name of Arspect. The firm produced ‘t Spectrum designs and works from other designers.
Arspect closed its doors in 1986. A former employee bought the company and renewed it with the name Spectrum. Today, Spectrum operates in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, creating contemporary designs alongside pieces dating back to the look and feel of the products offered by the original manufacturer. The company is also reproducing original designs created by Visser and Rietveld.
On 1stDibs, browse a selection of vintage ‘t Spectrum seating, tables, storage pieces and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Tilburg, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Limited Edition Piet Hein Eek MVPHE Easy Chair for SpectrumBy Piet Hein Eek, 't SpectrumLocated in Tilburg, NLLimited edition Piet Hein Eek MVPHE easy chair for Spectrum, The Netherlands. Piet Hein Eek designed the quirky MVPHE armchair with round shapes as a tribute to his friend and des...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech
- Peter Ghyczy GN2 Vintage Ocher Yellow Lounge ChairBy Peter GhyczyLocated in Tilburg, NLPeter Ghyczy GN2 vintage ocher yellow lounge chair. Late 20th century. Beautiful vintage design lounge chair by Peter Ghyczy. A great space-age design...Category
Late 20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsPlastic
- Rodolfo Bonetto Set of 3 ‘Boomerang’ Lounge Chairs 1968 for B-LineBy Rodolfo BonettoLocated in Tilburg, NLRodolfo Bonetto set of 3 ‘Boomerang’ lounge chairs in 'Remix 3 by Kvadrat' 1968 for B-Line. Boomerang is a welcoming lounge chair featuring a flat pocket at the back for use as ma...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rodolfo Bonetto ‘Boomerang’ Lounge Chair in Green 1968 for B-LineBy Rodolfo BonettoLocated in Tilburg, NLRodolfo Bonetto ‘Boomerang’ lounge chair in Green 'Remix 3 by Kvadrat' 1968 for B-Line. Boomerang is a welcoming lounge chair featuring a flat poc...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Garcìa Cumini 'Fold' Easy Chair for Verzelloni ItalyBy García Cumini, VerzelloniLocated in Tilburg, NLGarcìa Cumini 'Fold' easy chair for Verzelloni Italy. New, current production. From the 'Fold' seating series. Fold has been thought for limited but r...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rodolfo Bonetto ‘Boomerang’ Lounge Chair in 'Flukso' Velvet 1968 for B-LineBy Rodolfo BonettoLocated in Tilburg, NLRodolfo Bonetto ‘Boomerang’ Lounge Chair in 'Gorgeous' Velvet by Flukso 1968 for B-Line. Boomerang is a welcoming lounge chair featuring a flat po...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Gerrit Rietveld Utrecht Cassina Lounge ChairBy Gerrit RietveldLocated in New York, NYCassina edition of classic armchair. This example for sale is a red/orange color. Excellent condition. Combining experimentation and comfort, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld designed this ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool
- “Utrecht” chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1990s Italy.By Cassina, Gerrit RietveldLocated in Landgraaf, NL“Utrecht” chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1990s Italy. Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888 – 1964) was a Dutch architect and furniture designer. Also a member of De Stijl from 1918. D...Category
1990s Italian De Stijl Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool
- Crate Chairs by Gerrit Rietveld, Netherlands, 1940sBy Gerrit RietveldLocated in Antwerp, BEBlack crate chairs by Gerrit Rietveld, crafted circa 1960 in the Netherlands, these chairs are a testament to Rietveld's avant-garde approach to furniture design. As a pioneering fig...Category
Vintage 1940s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Redele Lounge Chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for CassinaBy Cassina, Gerrit RietveldLocated in New York, NYPair of Redele lounge chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina. The chairs have the original upholstery.Category
1990s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Gerrit Thomas Rietveld "Utrecht" Armchair for Cassina, 1935By Cassina, Gerrit RietveldLocated in Lonigo, VenetoGerrit Thomas Rietveld "Utrecht" armchairs for Cassina, wool and steel, Netherlands, 1935. The designer came up with the idea of the “Utrecht” armchair in 1935 while working for t...Category
Vintage 1980s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Utrecht “637” lounge chair in leopard velvet by Gerrit Rietveld for CassinaBy Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in amstelveen, NLLounge chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1935. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy, 1980s. Gerrit T. Rietveld came up with the design for the Utrecht armchair in 1935 while ...Category
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet