Gerrit Rietveld Zig Zag chair by Cassina, 1980s
View Similar Items
Gerrit Rietveld Zig Zag chair by Cassina, 1980s
About the Item
- Creator:Gerrit Rietveld (Designer),Cassina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 14.57 in (37 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:De Stijl (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:There is only one superficial scratch below the seat (so invisible to the eye as long as not turned upside down). It is shown in the pictures taken upside down.
- Seller Location:EVERDINGEN, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8096238469712
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.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- Dutch Art Deco Modernist set of chairs by H. Wouda for Pander, 1924By H.Pander & Zonen, Hendrik WoudaLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLSet of dining or side chairs bij Hendrik Wouda for Pander, 1924. Modernist, rationalist and Haagse School. The chairs are reupholstered in a light fabric. Hendrik Wouda (1885 - 194...Category
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Set of two early 1900s Carlo Bugatti Ladies ''Gong'' chairsBy Carlo BugattiLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLA stunning pair of early 20th century Carlo Bugatti (1856 - 1940) side or desk chairs, which are often called ''Gong'' chairs because of the copper and parchment disk in the backrest...Category
Antique Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Side Chairs
MaterialsCopper, Zinc
- Dutch Art Deco De Stijl/Haagse School set of chairs, 1920sLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLUnique set of four early (around 1910-1920) Haagse School dining chairs with De Stijl influences. Very austere and functional design with clean lines and oval shaped recesses that op...Category
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Side Chairs
MaterialsOak, Leather
- Dutch Rationalist Haagse School armchair by Hendrik Wouda for PanderBy H.Pander & Zonen, Hendrik WoudaLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLRationalist/Haagse School armchair, designed by Dutch architect Hendrik Wouda for Pander, 1920s to 1930s. An almost identical chair is part of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum collection. S...Category
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Set of Schuitema Shaker series side tables, 1980sBy Frits Schuitema, Schuitema & ZonenLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLA set of two modernist Dutch occasional tables, ca. 1980, in solid cherry wood. Quite an unusual design with the division in shelves and the accents in the joints. The furniture ma...Category
Vintage 1980s Dutch Modern Side Tables
MaterialsCherry
- Dutch Art Deco Haagse School rationalist desk chair, 1920sLocated in EVERDINGEN, NLA 1920s Dutch Haagse School desk chair in solid oak and with the original seat (springs inside), upholstered in leatherette. The chair has a low backrest which gives it a cubist and ...Category
Vintage 1920s Dutch Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Set of Ten Early 'Zig Zag' Chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1973, SignedBy Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis set of ten early year 'Zig Zag' chairs by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina are the holy grail of collectors pieces. Extremely rare and coveted, original 'Zig Zag' chairs are a part o...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian De Stijl Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
$42,100 Sale Price / set23% Off - Pair of Gerrit Rietveld Zig Zag Chairs, 1920sBy Gerrit RietveldLocated in West Hollywood, CAPerhaps the best pair of Gerrit Rietveld Zig Zag chairs, 1960s.Category
Early 20th Century De Stijl Side Chairs
MaterialsElm
$16,500 / set - Gerrit Rietveld "Zig-Zag" Chair by Cassina n° 859, Italy 1973By Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in Sacile, PNGerrit Rietveld "ZIG-ZAG" chair by Cassina, Italy 1970s. N°859 Provenance: Private collection Milan This early year 'Zig Zag' chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina are the holy gra...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian De Stijl Chairs
MaterialsWood, Elm
- Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by CassinaBy Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaChair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Designed by Gerrit Rietveld, this chair provided an early example of...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$3,020 / item - Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by CassinaBy Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaChair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Designed by Gerrit Rietveld, this chair provided an early example of...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$3,020 / item - Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by CassinaBy Gerrit Rietveld, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaChair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Designed by Gerrit Rietveld, this chair provided an early example of...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$3,020 / item
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.