Gerrit Rietveld and J. Tricht Long Sofa

About the Item

Gerrit Rietveld and interior designer J. Tricht, bench, faux-leather, metal, The Netherlands, 1965. This bench was originally designed as a 'hall bench' for a local bank in Dedemsvaart, The Netherlands. J. Tricht was the interior decorator of this space and was a partner of Gerrit Rietveld from 1965. The bench is made of metal and covered in original high-quality white leatherette. The bench exemplifies Rietveld's characteristic geometric precision and robust aesthetics. Please note that this item is in good, used condition with signs of age and use. For further details, we encourage you to reach out to our team of design specialists.

Creator:

J. Tricht (Designer),Gerrit Rietveld (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 30.12 in (76.5 cm)Width: 157.49 in (400 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Faux Leather,Metal

Place of Origin:

Netherlands

Period:

1960-1969

Date of Manufacture:

1965

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftsmen in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.

Seller Location:

Waalwijk, NL

Reference Number:

Seller: 450022311stDibs: LU933137860532

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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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