Gerrit Thomas Rietveld

Son of a cabinet-maker, Rietveldleft school at eleven year's old to work with his father. In 1911 he opened a workshop of his own in Utrecht, taking evening classes in architecture. His first important piece of furniture was the famous "red and blue" chair a symbol of the aesthetics of the De Stijl group which Rietveld join in 1918, and a transalation in three -dimensional  form of the compositive priciples of Mondrian. Beside key architectural designs, Rietveld design other furniture, mainly chairs, in a range of materials including chrome-plated tubolar steel, wood (taking the concept of the cantilevered chair to exstremes for his zig-zag chair), single piece moulded aluminium, rubber foam padding... Rietveld worked like a sculptor rather than as a designer, drawing his inspiration from available materials, frequently experimenting with new materials to create a cogent blend of aesthetics and practical technology.