Signature: Groenekan label under seat Manufacturer: Executed by Gerard A. van de GroenekanIn 1961 Rietveld started a partnership with the architects Va Dillen en Van Tricht. For this office, that was located in the beginning on the groundfloor op the famous Rietveld house in Utrecht, Rietveld ordered this chair at Gerard van de Groenekan.After the death of Rietveld, the architecture firm went on without him.In 1994 Architectenbureau Rietveld, Van Dillen en Van Tricht stopped.In sale 603 of Sotheby's Amsterdam, that took place September 1994, several pieces from this firm went on auction.An important Art collector from Holland bought the Red Blue chair.In 2013 Galerie VIVID showed the chair in the Rietveld exhibition in the gallery in RotterdamRed and Blue Chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina Black, blue, red, yellow Front Door Delivery - 2 to 4 weeks Import duty is not included in the prices you see online. You may have to pay import duties upon receipt of your order. Returns accepted within 14 days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items
(Included in Every Order) A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below). The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery. (Optional Upgrade at Checkout) A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers. The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
Please examine every order upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damage or missing or incorrect pieces, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations of missing, damaged, or incorrect item(s) represents your acceptance of the complete order in perfect condition.635 RED AND BLUE All the models in the Cassina collection, by merit of their artistic content and particular creative character, are protected by copyright, a legal institution that is universally recognised and safeguarded; legal protection is assured for the whole life-span of the author and for 70 years after his/her death (or the death of the last surviving co-author). 635 Red And Blue 635 Red and Blue_qp.pdf (pdf)25% off select design objects. Reading Joel Moskowitz's recent piece on building flatpack furniture reminded me of my first encounter with plywood furniture that could be built with a minimal number of tools.
I had been given a book called How to Make Furniture without Tools, which contained designs for simple but functional tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds.Published in 1975, it was written by Clement Meadmore, a famed Australian metal sculptor who was greatly interested in modern furniture. The book stood out for a couple of reasons, the furniture could be assembled without tools and each design utilized 100% of a sheet of plywood. The only waste was the sawdust generated while cutting the pieces—which would be done at the lumberyard on a vertical panel saw. This was before the era of the big box store, when the neighborhood lumber yard would cut plywood and sheet goods for a nominal charge. I was a novice woodworker and did not know much about building furniture, but could tell Meadmore knew even less. And that was fine, because I was more interested in learning the dimensions and proportions that worked for furniture than I was in using Meadmore's methods of construction. He said to assemble the pieces with butt joints and carpenter's glue, and to weight the joints in lieu of clamping.
Carpenter's glue is great stuff, but not for a butt joint, which in the absence of fasteners or joinery (dado, mortise, biscuit, etc.) is terribly weak. Meadmore probably knew better but it would have spoiled the title of his book to call it How to Build Furniture with a Hammer. When I built his designs I nailed and glued or screwed the joints. If I were to build it today I'd probably use biscuits and/or pocket screws—or with interlocking thru joints if I had access to a CNC machine.I thought of this furniture as disposable, using it for however long I needed it and then taking it apart and reusing the plywood. Over a period of years I built platform beds, chairs, and tables based on Meadmore's designs—doing my own cutting and altering dimensions and details to suit my needs. I built several versions of the arm chair on the cover of the book, which with its low seat, sloped back, and wide arms reminded me of the Adirondack Chair patented in 1905. My favorite modification was to widen and brace one or both arms so they functioned as built-in side tables.
It wasn't until years later, during a trip to NYC, that I discovered the source of Meadmore's design. I was at the Museum of Modern Art's permanent furniture collection when I saw a colorful chair with the shape and proportions of the one I had built so many of. It was Gerrit Rietveld's iconic "Red-Blue" chair. Designed and built in 1918, the original was made from unstained beech. Rietveld later produced versions that were painted or stained black or white. It was not until 1923, when inspired by the work of fellow Dutchman Piet Mondrian, that he painted it red, blue, yellow, and black.The chair was intended to be mass produced but was never produced in anything more than small batches. I have no idea how many such chairs were made at the time, but the design continues to be produced to this day. Google "Rietveld Red-Blue Chair" and you'll find all manner of originals, reproductions, kits, and construction plans for sale. And that leaves out all the designs inspired by the original—like ones made from Lucite or ones where some of the pieces are turned on a lathe.