Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Gispen table lamp, Italy 1960s

About the Item

Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Gispen table lamp Designed and made in Italy in 1960s Aluminum, enameled metal Takes 1 Edison base bulb Complimentary US rewiring upon request. Price is for ONE lamp. 2 lamps are available in different colors. FREE US rewiring upon request. FREE US Continental shipping. NO TARIFFS, Duties or Customs fees on US orders. We are located in the US. We take pride in bringing vintage fixtures to their full glory again. At Illustris Lighting our main focus is to deliver lighting fixtures to our clients in ready to install condition. Every item in our collection goes through strict condition inspection and receives careful restoration if it’s needed. We work with highly skilled restorers, the very best in the business. They are experts in European lighting and happy to do custom modifications, exquisite patinas and give the vintage lights their second lease on life. Every single fixture comes with a complimentary US rewiring and adapted to US standards.

Creator:
Gispen (Manufacturer),Gerrit Rietveld (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)Depth: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
Power Source:
Plug-in
Lampshade:
Included
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Aluminum,Steel,Enameled
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Long Island City, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1700243889982

Shop All Gerrit Rietveld

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.

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