Gerrit T. Rietveld

Dutch architect and craftsman Gerrit Thomas Rietveld was born in Utrecht in 1888 and died in Utrecht in 1964. He was one of the leading exponents of the neoplasticism movement in the design and architecture worlds. During his long and prolific career, Rietveld indelibly marked the world of design by creating some of the most acclaimed iconic products ever.

Rietveld engaged in his first work experience at his family’s carpentry shop where he first approached the world of materials and objects. When this experience in carpentry finished, he devoted himself to evening courses in architectural design and, after completing them, opened his own carpentry workshop in 1918 where he began designing and producing furniture. It was precisely during this period that he designed and built the celebrated Red and Blue chair: an undisputed symbol of international design.

Among the main representatives of neoplasticism in the world, Rietveld is today re-evoked by Cassina which has included it in the "I Maestri" collection producing what were the most iconic and ingenious products that distinguished the work of the Dutch designer, immortalizing him indeed.