The work of one of the luminaries of 20
th century design, Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964), will be explored in a major exhibition at the
Vitra Design Museum from tomorrow until the 16
th September.
Always associated with the work of the De Stijl movement whose central figures were Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian, the exhibition traces Rietveld's work before De Stijl, and how he quickly distanced himself from the movement after 1924 and the completion of the Schroder House.
In fact his famous Red and Blue chair was first created in 1918 without the striking colour scheme which did not arrive until 1923. The Schroder House soon followed before his break with De Stijl but after that, there were many experiments with then, new materials such as tubular steel and plywood. After 1945 he was active mainly as an architect and developed a rich seam of work.
The exhibition has some 320 objects which include furniture, models, photographs, films, original drawings and plans. It is a rare opportunity to explore this visionary in the fuller context of his life's work.
