Gerrit Rietveld

GERRIT THOMAS RIETVELD (Utrecht, 1888–1964)
Set of eight chairs. Zig-Zag Chair. Original design from 1934.
Cassina edition, 2015.
Ash wood.
In good condition, with slight signs of wear consistent with its age and use.
Measurements of each chair: 76 × 38 × 40 cm.

The Zig-Zag Chair is one of the most iconic creations of modern design. Rietveld reduced the chair to four essential planes linked in a continuous silhouette, dispensing with traditional legs and transforming an everyday object into a structure of extraordinary geometric purity.

Crafted from ash wood, these eight pieces stand out for the beauty of their grain and the balance between visual lightness and structural precision. Their “Z”-shaped profile creates a radical and instantly recognizable image, in which the seat, backrest, support, and base form a single architectural sequence.

Cassina’s edition respects the rigor of the original design and the construction quality characteristic of the I Maestri collection. When grouped as a set of eight, the chairs take on a particularly elegant and monumental presence, ideal for both a dining table and a contemporary architectural interior.

An architect, cabinetmaker, and designer, Gerrit Rietveld was a key figure in the De Stijl movement and one of the great innovators of 20th-century furniture. His designs are held in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which houses a historic example of the Zig-Zag.