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.
Rietveld Schröder House Model Kit by Gerrit Rietveld, 1987
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Plastic scale model kit of the Rietveld Schröder House. Manufactured in Netherlands in 1987. It consists of 93 parts of quality ABS plastic in th...
Plastic, Paper
Rietveld Scale Model Kit, Plastic & Paper, Mid-Century Modern, 1987
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Rietveld Scale Model Kit Bouwplaat 1987 In good original condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Gerrit ...
Plastic, Paper
Monumental Safety Pin by Think Big NYC
By Think Big
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Giant safety pin made by Think Big NYC. Dated 1986. Cool unusual object. Good vintage condition. Just under 3 feet tall.
Metal
Lever Modern Toys Car, Made in Japan by Modern Toys, 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
This Lever Modern Toys car is an original vintage toy. Made in Japan by Modern Toys in 1940s. When you pull the lever to the direction of the i...
Metal
$411
H 4.93 in W 10.83 in D 4.53 in
Vintage Toy, Marx Toys Wind Up Chariot and Horses, Mid-20th Century
By Marx Toy Co.
Located in Roma, IT
This Marx Toys Wind up Chariot and Horses is a vintage mechanical toy representing a red chariot dragged by two painted tin horses. Original...
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Red Colored Steel Miniature Crane
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Steel toy crane with lots of appeal. It is plain and pretty, sitting on four wheels. The hook really works well.
Steel
$670 / item
H 10 in W 8.5 in D 4.5 in
Hermanos Calavera Conquistador in Oiled Walnut by Miguel & Ilse Silva for Wooda
By Miguel Silva, Wooda, Ilse Silva
Located in Omro, WI
These handsome but quirky brothers designed by Miguel and Ilse Silva for Wooda are the result of an engaging mix of personality, love, fun and mischievousness. Los Hermanos Calavera(...
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
Vintage Model Wood House
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Vintage model wood house featuring front portico and door with many windows and four dormers. House has interior bulb that functions to light interior a...
Wood
$173
H 12.6 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in
Hand-Painted Wooden Pinocchio Doll, Italy, Mid-Century Modern, 1960s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Amazing jointed wooden doll, hand painted Pinocchio, made in Italy in the 1960s. Good vintage condition. Dimensions: Width: 9 cm / 3.54 inches Height: 32 cm / 12.6 inches Depth: 9 ...
Wood
$148
H 4.53 in W 5.71 in D 14.97 in
1950s Racing Car Model or Toy ''No. 7'' Oldtimer Ferrari 500 by Geobra, Germany
By Old Timer Ferrari
Located in Andernach, DE
Mid-20th century classic kids toy or model by German toy makers Geobra. The well played model is shaped after the classic racing car Ferrari 500 from 1952, created by Aurelio Lampred...
Plastic
$2,071Sale Price|20% Off
H 50 in W 13 in D 9 in
Mid-19th Century Sicilian Marionette Knight with Sheild
Located in London, GB
Mid-19th Century Sicilian Marionette Knight with Sheild A mid to late 19th Century hand carved Sicilian marionette knight puppet/marionette. Still wearing all in brass armour and si...
Brass
$359
H 3 in W 9.75 in D 3.5 in
Mid Century Japanese Tin Litho Friction Toy Car Chevrolet Station Wagon C1956
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fantastic Japanese tin litho toy car from the mid to late fifties. A Chevrolet Station Wagon in excellent vintage condition with minimal wear, practi...
Metal
Antique Wooden Articulated Doll/Artist’s Mannequin/Milliner's Model
Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer is a doll with 19th-century styling, including a center-parted hairstyle and a hand-painted face. Like a typically smaller “penny wooden” doll, which sold for a penny, and h...
Metal
Large Vintage Handmade Wooden Airplane Model Biplane, 1930s
Located in Sakskøbing, DK
This large decorative airplane is a handmade folk art biplane model from Western Europe, dating to the 1930s. It is made of painted carved wood, with metal struts, a metal propeller,...
Metal
Vintage Wind-Up Motorcycle Tin Toy by Marx Toy Company
By Marx Toy Co.
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage wind-up motorcycle tin toy by Marx Toy Company, circa late 1930s. This rare piece is in good vintage working condition with good lithography and minimal rust; it measures 8....
Metal, Tin
$350
H 5 in W 2.75 in D 7.5 in
Mid Century Tin Litho Mechanical Clockwork Windup Toy Skier Girl by Chein C1945
By J. Chein & Co.
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous working tin Litho toy skier by the Chein toy co. C1945. In excellent vintage condition with minimal wear.
Tin
Vintage Toy, Schuco 1750 Car, Made in Germany, Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
This Schuco 1750 car is a wind up mechanical toy car, made in Germany, between 1938 and 1960. Working clockwork, non original wheels. Original key not included. Very good overal...
Metal
Rietveld Schröder Model House Toy, 1987
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Plastic scale model kit of the Rietveld Schröder House. Manufactured in Netherlands in 1987. It consists of 93 parts of quality ABS plastic in the origin...
Plastic, Paper