POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Red and Blue Chair' by Gerrit Rietveld and Cassina

Object No. 85/1835

This painted and lacquered beechwood chair, entitled 'Red and Blue Chair', is a reproduction made by Cassina in Italy in about 1984 of the famous Rietveld chair. The original was designed in 1918 by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888-1964) but was not painted in its bold colour scheme until 1923 by which time Rietveld was a member of the Dutch avant-garde group De Stijl. The chair's primary colours and stark geometric planes reflect a similar aesthetic to another member of the group, the abstract painter Piet Mondrian. Rietveld's search for a modern style resulted in a number of chair designs and architectural projects, notably the Schroder House, Utrecht, in 1925. Modernism was shaped by European artists, architects and designers who searched for a new visual language for the 20th century. They embraced mass-production and believed that modern, functional and affordable houses, furnishings an objects should be available to all. Among the most influential were members of the De Stijl group in Holland who used primary colours, geometric forms and standardised elements in their designs. De Stijl's approach influenced by the Constructivists in Russia as well as the Bauhaus in Germany, a key art and design school which trained designers for industry. In Italy, Futurist artists inspired early modernist designers.