Gerrit Rietveld
Dutch furniture designer and architect of De Stijl.
Gerrit Rietveld (24 June 1888 – 25 June 1964) was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. He is best known for his iconic Red and Blue Chair and the Rietveld Schröder House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A key member of the De Stijl movement, Rietveld later embraced functionalist architecture and social housing.
- born
- 24 June 1888, Utrecht, Netherlands
- died
- 25 June 1964, Utrecht, Netherlands
- field
- Furniture designer, architect
- nationality
- Dutch
- known_for
- Red and Blue Chair, Rietveld Schröder House, De Stijl movement
Lore & Background
Rietveld was born in Utrecht as the son of a joiner. He left school at 11 to apprentice with his father, attended night school, and worked as a draughtsman for a jeweller from 1906 to 1911. By 1917 he had taught himself drawing, painting, and model-making, opened his own furniture workshop, and designed the Red and Blue Chair. He joined De Stijl in 1919, the same year he became an architect, and exhibited at the Bauhaus in 1923 at Walter Gropius's invitation.
In 1924 Rietveld built the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht with Truus Schröder-Schräder. Its top floor used sliding walls instead of fixed ones, creating flexible living spaces. The house became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Rietveld broke with De Stijl in 1928 and joined the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne, focusing on functionalist architecture, social housing, prefabrication, and new materials. He designed the Zig-Zag Chair in 1934 and began work on the Van Gogh Museum, completed after his death.
A 1951 retrospective exhibition revived interest in his work, leading to commissions including the Dutch pavilion for the Venice Biennale (1953), art academies in Amsterdam and Arnhem, and the press room for the UNESCO building in Paris. In 1961 he partnered with Johan van Dillen and J. van Tricht to build hundreds of homes in Utrecht. Rietveld died on 25 June 1964 in Utrecht.
Reader's Guide
Gerrit Rietveld's significance lies in his role as a pioneering figure of the De Stijl movement and his transition to functionalist architecture. His Red and Blue Chair, designed in 1917, became an iconic piece of modern furniture, reflecting his aim for simplicity and mass production. The Rietveld Schröder House, built in 1924, is a landmark of modern architecture, with its radical open-plan top floor and sliding walls. Rietveld's later work in social housing and prefabrication, though realized mainly in the 1950s, demonstrated his commitment to affordable, standardized construction. His legacy endures through the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, named in his honor, and the continued production of his furniture designs. The revival of interest in his work after 1951 ensured his influence on later generations of architects and designers. Two software tools for code review, Gerrit and Rietveld, are named after him.
Did You Know?
- Rietveld left school at 11 to apprentice with his father, a joiner.
- He designed the Red and Blue Chair in 1917 and changed its colors after joining De Stijl.
- The Rietveld Schröder House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
- Two code review software tools, Gerrit and Rietveld, are named after him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gerrit Rietveld?
Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch designer and architect born in Utrecht in 1888, recognized for bridging fine art and everyday objects through his bold geometric approach. He passed away in the same city in 1964, just one day after his 76th birthday.
What is Gerrit Rietveld best known for?
He is most celebrated for the Red and Blue Chair, a deconstructive piece of furniture, and the Rietveld Schröder House, a striking residential building in Utrecht. Both works have become defining symbols of modernist design.
What was the De Stijl movement and how did Rietveld fit into it?
De Stijl was a Dutch avant-garde collective that pursued pure abstraction in art, design, and architecture using primary colors and geometric forms. Rietveld was one of its central practitioners, translating those principles into three-dimensional furniture and built structures.
What is the significance of the Rietveld Schröder House today?
The house, completed in 1924, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its outstanding contribution to modernist architecture. It remains a working residence and a major destination for design enthusiasts visiting Utrecht.
How did Gerrit Rietveld's work evolve later in his career?
After his De Stijl period, he shifted toward a more pragmatic, functionalist style focused on affordable social housing for working-class families. This later phase demonstrated his commitment to making good design accessible beyond the elite.
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