Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld

Attributed to GERRIT RIETVELD (Netherlands, 1888–1964) for Studio Production.
“Red and Blue Chair,” c. 1970.
Wood.
In good condition, with visible signs of wear, marks, or losses consistent with its age and use.
Measurements: 90 x 65 x 90 cm.
"Rood-blauwe stoel" (The Red Blue Chair) is an icon of international design, created in 1917 by Gerrit Rietveld. It represents one of the De Stijl art movement’s earliest explorations in three dimensions. The original chair had a natural finish and was later painted in the De Stijl primary color palette: black, gray, and white. However, it was later altered to resemble the paintings of Piet Mondrian after Rietveld became acquainted with the artist’s work in 1918. Rietveld finally joined the De Stijl movement in 1919. Due to its extremely simplified design, this model was intended for mass production. The chair is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The son of a cabinetmaker, Rietveld learned the trade in his father’s workshop. In 1918, Rietveld launched his own furniture factory while studying architecture. In the summer of 1918, he designed the Red and Blue Chair, initially finished in natural wood; however, in 1924, after joining De Stijl, he changed the finish to the colors that give it its name. In 1919, he began collaborating with Truus Schröder-Schräder. In 1923, he participated in the De Stijl architecture exhibition at L’Effort Moderne in Paris and collaborated with Vilmos Huzar on the design for the Berlin art exhibition. In 1924, together with Schröder, he designed his best-known architectural work: the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht. The house has a conventional ground floor, while the upper level is radical, featuring sliding walls that allow the space to be reconfigured. The design resembles a three-dimensional realization of a Mondrian painting. Rietveld broke with the De Stijl movement in 1928 and joined the Nieuwe Zakelijkheid. That same year, he joined the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM). In 1934, he designed the Zig-Zag chair and began work on the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, for which he produced only sketches. He entered a period of deep social engagement, particularly through his social architecture and the design of inexpensive, easy-to-manufacture furniture (the Krat series). In 1951, he designed a retrospective exhibition on the De Stijl movement in Amsterdam, Venice, and New York.