Longread | Viveka van de Vliet
The famous architect and furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) created extraordinary designs and an idiosyncratic vision of living. Less highlighted and at least as interesting is the work of the second generation of Rietveld. For the first time in more than 30 years, the creative work of four of Gerrit Rietveld’s children is on display, together with that of their father.
At The Millen House in Amsterdam, gallery owner and curator Niek Schoenmakers shows furniture and artworks by architect Jan Rietveld, painter Elisabeth Rietveld, furniture maker Gerrit Rietveld jr. and industrial designer Wim Rietveld in a unique and intriguing exhibition.
In 1991, the work of Wim, Jan, Elisabeth (Bep) and Gerrit jr. was last exhibited in the ‘Four times Rietveld’ exhibition at the Gerrit Rietveld-designed pavilion De Zonnehof in Amersfoort. So it is high time for a new update, thinks Niek Schoenmakers. In the sales exhibition ‘5X Rietveld’, the gallery owner exposes the creative lines that exist between the father and his children, but above all shines the light on the talent of the four Rietveld children.
Gerrit Rietveld was an architect and furniture designer and achieved great recognition in both fields. The Zig-Zag Chair, Crate Chair and Red and Blue Chair are known to all. He was a revolutionary pioneer of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement and was iconic for design in the Netherlands. Gerrit sr. is constantly in the spotlight, this year including the 100th anniversary of the Rietveld-Schröder House.
‘But far from everyone knows that his children were influential on Dutch visual design after World War II, ‘ says Niek Schoenmakers. ‘Wim, Jan, Bep and Gerrit were formed in an artistic milieu and in their work we also see a great kinship with that of their father. ‘At the same time, it is special that Rietveld sr. assumed that you can nurture children but not bring them up, and so he gave them the freedom to choose their own path. In this way, they developed an entirely individual style without hindrance and left their mark on the fields they worked in during the period of The Reconstruction,’ says Schoenmakers.
Special focus is on Bep Rietveld. In collaboration with the Bep Rietveld Foundation, The Millen House presents a selection of her rarely shown portraits and still lifes. The exhibition establishes a remarkable link between Bep and her father: his designed furniture, such as the iconic Red and Blue Chair and the Steltman Chair, serves as the backdrop for the people and objects in her paintings. Schoenmakers: ‘Bep’s penetrating depiction of her characters adds a human layer and emphasises the rational nature of her father’s work.’
Wim Rietveld saw it as his task to develop affordable utensils for mass production, entirely in line with the ideas of the Good Living Foundation. For example, Schoenmakers shows the famous Panama lamp, model 4050 from 1956, made by Gispen. In this company, Wim was involved in designing office furniture, to which he added living furniture and lamps. Here too, the connection with his father is highlighted: in 1957, they were jointly responsible for the design of the stackable and linkable Mondial chair. It was presented at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels.
A special masterpiece in the exhibition is a rare chair by Gerrit Rietveld jr. from 1954. Whereas his brother worked for industry, it was Gerrit who made furniture on his own in small runs. He learned the furniture craft in the workshop of Gerard van de Groenekan, who made furniture for Gerrit sr. With a simple design language and unusual construction, he developed his own handwriting that gave him a certain notoriety. Unfortunately, he died at a young age, leaving his oeuvre very limited and virtually unknown.
Architect Jan Rietveld started his career just after World War II. His work has similarities with that of his father and the Nieuwe Bouwen movement. His best-known design is the Westeinderflat from 1956-1958, a bachelor flat in Amsterdam that was soon jokingly nicknamed ‘Hunker Bunker’. Besides mainly detached houses, he occasionally designed furniture within architecture. With the cabinets shown from an Amsterdam flat by Jan, Schoenmakers makes a connection to himself as an architect. ‘Within my gallery, I am interested in the interaction between art and design objects and architectural space. These cabinets were designed specifically for a particular flat but are also stand-alone pieces of furniture that fit into any contemporary interior.’
Closing piece of 5X Rietveld is a pew by Gerrit Rietveld sr. This 1963 metal and wood pew comes from church centre ‘De Hoeksteen’ in Uithoorn. This rectangular building in the Nieuwe Bouwen style creates the illusion of a cube by reflecting in the surrounding pond. Rietveld designed the building, the pews and the cross in the church hall. He did not live to see the opening of his only completed church design; he died during construction in 1964.
The exhibition shows how Rietveld’s DNA shines through in the work his children, and also resonates with the current young generation of designers. During design route GLUE Amsterdam from 19-22 September 2024, The Millen House will develop a special programme around 5X Rietveld, including a Q&A with Bep Rietveld’s daughter.
Exhibition ‘5X Rietveld’
The Millen House, Amsterdam
5 September – 13 October, 2024
Photography exhibition: Ilco Kemmere
