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Design for furniture display

Design
1938-1940 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) started work in his father’s furniture workshop at the age of 12. In 1917 Rietveld set up a furniture workshop in Utrecht which allowed him to make furniture according to his own judgement and taste. In 1918 he designed an unpainted armchair, of which he produced a coloured version in red, blue, yellow and black probably not before 1923. Known as the ‘Red–Blue’ chair, it brought him international fame.

Rietveld became affiliated with Functionalist architecture and participated in the Congrès International d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM). From the late 1920s and during the 1930s he concentrated on designing mass-produced furniture and architecture. He executed a number of shop renovations for the Dutch company Metz & Co., who between 1930 and 1955 produced his furniture, including various models of the ‘Zig-zag’ chair and the so-called ‘Crate’ furniture.

In this design for a showroom display in Amsterdam, Rietveld displays his interpretation of space; use of levels and furniture groupings define the space, and the boundary between internal and external space is blurred by the large glass shop-window.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDesign for furniture display (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil, pen and ink, and green ink on paper
Brief description
Drawing by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, design for furniture display in Amsterdam showroom of Metz & Co., pencil and pen and ink, Netherlands, ca. 1938
Physical description
Design drawing for shop window display for Metz & Co., Amsterdam. The sheet is divided by a square grid drawn in pencil which could be an indication of the shop window, with an entrance indicated towards the right. The drawing shows a dining table with seven 'Zig-Zag' chairs; a sideboard; a sculpture; planters along the walls; two 'Zig-Zag' armchairs and a table; a painting; a screen or a door; and a patterned rug. All the objects are labelled in pencil by the designer. The outlines of the objects are drawn over in green ink and a grid-like floor covering the entire shop floor is also drawn in green ink. The back of the sheet has a letter in Rietveld's writing; ink with a few light pencil sketches; signed by the designer.
Dimensions
  • Height: 23.4cm
  • Width: 29cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1991
Style
Production typeDesign
Marks and inscriptions
'schilderij; [feelijt]; dressoir; plantjs; plastiek; entrie; tegel; tafel; [ruan] of deure' (indicated next to the objects in the sketch; pencil)
Translation
painting; [rug/carpet]; sideboard; plants; plastic art; entry; tile; table; [...] door
Gallery label
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888-1964) First sketch for a shop window display. 1940 Pencil, pen and ink on the back of a draft of a letter to the sculptor Bijerman. Rietveld combined the roles of an architect and furniture designer and manufacturer. He is best known in Britain for the uncompromising modernity and starkness of his designs, notably the Red Blue Chair (1917), the Crate Chair (1934) and the Zig Zag chair (1934). The latter are clearly visible in the design, which Rietveld was preparing for the furniture manufactuers and retailers Metz & Co. in Amsterdam. To make the display more domestic looking, Rietveld asked Bijerman the sculptor if he could borrow a dolphin sculpture (visible in the right hand lower corner of the design.) This request is in the draft letter on the back of the sheet. E.1764-1991
Historical context
Rietveld executed a number of shop renovations for the Dutch company Metz & Co., who between 1930 and 1955 produced his furniture including various models of the ‘Zig-zag’ chair and the so-called ‘Crate’ furniture (Kratmeubel; e.g. Amsterdam, Stedel. Mus.).
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Association
Summary
Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) started work in his father’s furniture workshop at the age of 12. In 1917 Rietveld set up a furniture workshop in Utrecht which allowed him to make furniture according to his own judgement and taste. In 1918 he designed an unpainted armchair, of which he produced a coloured version in red, blue, yellow and black probably not before 1923. Known as the ‘Red–Blue’ chair, it brought him international fame.

Rietveld became affiliated with Functionalist architecture and participated in the Congrès International d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM). From the late 1920s and during the 1930s he concentrated on designing mass-produced furniture and architecture. He executed a number of shop renovations for the Dutch company Metz & Co., who between 1930 and 1955 produced his furniture, including various models of the ‘Zig-zag’ chair and the so-called ‘Crate’ furniture.

In this design for a showroom display in Amsterdam, Rietveld displays his interpretation of space; use of levels and furniture groupings define the space, and the boundary between internal and external space is blurred by the large glass shop-window.
Bibliographic references
  • Küper, Marijke and Ida van Zijl, eds. Gerrit Th. Rietveld : the complete works, 1888-1964. Utrecht: Centraal Museum, 1992. 393pp, illus. ISBN: 9073285151.
  • Vöge, Peter. The complete Rietveld furniture. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1993. 180pp, illus. ISBN: 9064501599.
  • Küper, Marijke. Rietveld als meubelmaker. Utrecht: Cantraal Museum, 1983. 24pp. ISBN: 9789097696013.
  • Baroni, Daniele. I Mobili Di Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. Milan: documenti di Casabella, 1977.
  • Rietveld als meubelmaker (exh. cat. by M. Küper, Utrecht, Cent. Mus., 1983)
  • Astley, Stephen. A Note on the Recent Acquisition of Six Drawings by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. Journal of the Decorative Arts Society. 1995, vol. 19. pp. 16-19.
  • Vöge, Peter. The complete Rietveld furniture. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1993. 180pp, illus. ISBN: 9064501599. Catalogue number 137
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1991
  • Uit de verzameling van het Stedelijk: Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), Meubels. Amsterdam: Stedelijk Museum, 1977. 32pp, illus.
Collection
Accession number
E.1764-1991

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Record createdSeptember 29, 2005
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