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.
Izika Gaon Gerrit Rietveld de Stijl poster Israel 1977
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This exhibition poster for De Stijl, held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in 1977, was designed by Izika Gaon and represents a highly intellectual approach to graphic design rooted in curatorial thinking. Rather than presenting Gerrit Rietveld’s Red Blue Chair...
Paper
1977 Monaco Grand Prix Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
This poster is for the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix, with the brilliant illustration design by Carpenter. The vibrant and modern artwork depicts the speed of the racers. The 1977 Monaco G...
Linen, Paper
1977 Marimekko Promotional Poster
By Marimekko
Located in Brooklyn, NY
As part of Marimekko's ongoing efforts to promote the brand worldwide, this piece is from a line of posters sent to distributors, press, and agents focused on the company's designs. ...
Paper
Omen Original 1977 Polish Film Movie Poster, ANDREJ KLIMOWSKI
Located in Bath, Somerset
You can always count on Polish posters to throw up some extraordinarily original artwork. Often challenging, confrontational and, invariably, original... and the Polish poster for 70...
Paper
A Classic Jasper Johns Savarin Paint Poster 1977 Whitney Museum
By Jasper Johns
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
"This first edition exhibition poster was designed and created by Jasper Johns for a retrospective of his work at the Whitney Museum in 1977-1978. It was published by the Whitney Mu...
Paper
STAR WARS 1977 French Moyenne Film Movie Poster, TOM JUNG
By Tom Jung
Located in Bath, Somerset
Fantastic first-year-of-release French Moyenne film poster for Star Wars featuring Tom Jung's classic design. In wonderful Near Mint/Mint linen-backed condition. This original vinta...
Linen, Paper
1977 Star Wars Original Vintage Poster
By Tom William Chantrell
Located in Winchester, GB
One of the most iconic and sought after film posters of all time and the "one" for Star Wars and film poster collectors. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and so man...
Paper
$520Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 23.63 in D 0.4 in
Pierre Graziani Original Vintage Exhibition Poster, Musee Galliera, 1977
By Pierre Alexandre Graziani
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Pierre Graziani original vintage exhibition poster, Musee Galliera, 1977 Pierre Alexandre Graziani is a French Postwar & Contemporary painter who was...
Paper
Cuarteto Cedron, Chances Poster 1977 Polydor, Argentina
Located in Niederdorfelden, Hessen
Cuarteto Cedron, Chances Poster 1977 Polydor, France. Cuarteto Cedron is a group of Argentine musicians. Not framed, has not been folded, rolled up. Size: 78.5 x 119 cm.
Papercord
Fondation Maeght Original Poster by Paul Klee, 1977
By Paul Klee
Located in Winchester, GB
Beautiful poster with striking colour created in 1977 to promote Paul Klee's exhibition at the Fondation Maeght in Paris, France. Featuring the Swiss-born German artists 1933 paintin...
Paper
1977 Star Wars Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
One of the most iconic and sought after film posters of all time and the "one" for Star Wars collectors. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and so many more, Star War...
Linen, Paper
Star Wars 1977 French Grande Film Poster, Tom Jung
Located in Bath, Somerset
Tom Jung's classic Star Wars design looks wonderful on the scale of this first-year-of-release French Grande film poster. In superb condition as well. This original vintage movie po...
Linen, Paper
1977 Star Wars - Parents of Earth Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Brilliant & very rare poster from 1977 featuring the iconic duo of C3-PO and R2-D2 for the US Department of Health. This public service announcement, known as "Parents of Earth" was rolled out in conjunction with the huge success of the first Star Wars release in cinemas. The US Department of Health used the beloved droids to promote child vaccination against diseases such as polio, whooping cough and measles that were rife at the time. "Star Wars", or "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The legendary film starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones...
Paper
1977 Star Wars Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
One of the most iconic and sought after film posters of all time and the "one" for Star Wars collectors. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and so many more, Star War...
Paper
1977 Bally - Lotus Original Vintage Poster
By Bernard Villemot
Located in Winchester, GB
One of the most iconic and sought after designs of the 20th Century, the collaborations between Bernard Villemot and Bally showcase the crossover between advertisement and fine art. ...
Paper
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 60 in W 40 in D 1.25 in
Massive After Andy Warhol "Torso" Poster Ace Gallery Paris, 1977
By Andy Warhol
Located in San Diego, CA
Massive After Andy Warhol "Torso" poster, circa 1977. The poster is in good vintage condition and measures 39.38"W x 59.13"H (Image size: 35.5" x 26.88"). Printed by SMI (Société Mondiale d'Impression), Paris, France and published by Ace Gallery...
Metal