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Well, it's not exactly a
Mondrian. If you want some real Mondrian furniture, get some orange crates and
make your own bookshelves etc, paint them white and add cardboard rectangles
painted in primary colours. But the Rietveld chair is one of the cornerstones of De Stijl
design and the Mondrian associations were strong. Here's one in kit form from
eBay.
Check
here for a variation on this
theme.
All the text is from the eBay sales
pitches:
| Rietveld RED & BLUE
Chair Model Kit, De Stijl
The item up for bids is a
wonderful circa 1983 model kit of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld's seminal "Red and
Blue" chair. The kit contains wood for the chair with pre-inserted metal
pegs for the joints, enamel paint in four authentic colors, and an
instruction book that gives a brief history of Rietveld and his chair. The
wood is a good quality straight grained hardwood, it is not balsa or pine.
The model is in a 1:6 scale.
One of the most original and important pieces of furniture designed in the
twentieth century, [it] challenged the traditional shapes of useful objects
by redefining the structure of their forms and internal spaces . . .
Recognized from its creation as a revolutionary invention, the chair became
the standard of the Dutch De Stijl group, which Rietveld joined in 1919 . .
. With elements painted in red, black and blue and edged in yellow [it]
reflects the use of flat primary colors used by the De Stijl painters Piet
Mondrian, Vilmos Huszar, and Theo van Doesburg . . .
K. B. Heizenger and G. H. Marcus, Landmarks of Twentieth-Century Design,
1993, Abbeville Press, New York
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Condition:
The kit is in excellent condition. All the pieces are present and accounted
for. The paint is still liquid, I don't know if it's still usable. The box
is in good shape with tears to one end piece. The graphics are good. I
should point out the kit was dry assembled for the photo and to make sure
all the pieces were present, it has never been glued or painted.
Dimensions:
The box is 9" by 6 1/2". The chair is about 6" tall and 4" wide.
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When I sit
me down, it should not be as my buttocks would, but in such a chair as my
sitting spirit - if it could sit - would weave for itself. |
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If you can't or won't make one, then you can buy a model. Here's one from
eBay. VITRA-MINIATURE
~RED BLUE ARMCHAIR~NEW!!!
“one serves mankind by enlightening it’ was the
mantra of the De Stijl movement in Holland in the 1917. Designers working on
spatial problems became interested in the Japanese design qualities of
austerity and sophistication. Straight lines, right angles, smooth surfaces
with concealed wood grains were covered with primary colors and basic black,
white and grays. Harmony of the designs were achieved by restraining these
simple elements.
Gerrit Rietveld disbanded the traditional armchair and composed it into a
composition of lines and space with a strong visual connection to the
paintings of Mondrian, also a De Stijl member. The Red/Blue Chair was
designed abandoning traditional joinery to insure that each plane could
remain distinct. Although originally made with a natural wood finish,
Rietveld later reconsidered and painted it the red, blue and yellow lacquer,
juxtaposed with black aniline dye. The Red/ Blue (Roodblauwe Stoel) is a
pivotal modern work, and an impressive piece of sculpture.
This Vitra Design Museum original is reproduced in painstaking detail 6:1
scale by the Vitra Design Museum. It is brand new and perfect in it's wooden
packing crate.
This model is 15.5cm x 12.5cm x 15 cm, and is made of wood with colored
varnish
The Vitra Miniatures Collection consists of key objects in international
design history, true to their originals and reduced in size on a scale of
1:6. Thanks to their precision and originality these miniatures are not only
collection-pieces for furniture-lovers, they also make ideal visual aids for
universities and colleges of design. Comes boxed in it's own wooden crate
and packaging.
Definitely a "GOTTA-HAVE-IT" item for modern furniture fans!! |
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| There is also a book on the subject which I
have on order (Dec 2006) from Amazon.
Get yours here |
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Page added October 2002
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