|
|
Dutch EXCLUSIVE of global proportions
Rietveld by Rietveld
|
Rietveld by Rietveld. Under this meaningful name, two of Gerrit Rietveld's descendents will, under their own management, bring reproductions from Rietveld's comprehensive oeuvre of furniture on the market. It is an initiative of Egbert Rietveld (1961) - one of Rietveld's grandsons - and great-grandson Ries Seijler (1962) 'to show the world that Rietveld is more than just the Red-Blue or the Zigzag chair'. The two second cousins are also part of the board of Stichting Auteursrechten G. Th. Rietveld (Foundation Copyrights G. Th. Rietveld) which keeps a close watch on Rietveld's legacy. Following several attempts to have more of Rietveld's collection produced by manufacturers other than Cassina, Egbert Rietveld and Ries Seijler decided to do it themselves. On 25 June 2004, exactly 40 years after the death of Gerrit Rietveld, they started the company Rietveld by Rietveld. The first five models will be available across the world from early 2005.
|
Rietveld by Rietveld starts with a range of five models: the Military chair, the Military table, the Military stool and the Berlin chair - all 1923 designs - and the 1963 Steltman chair. "Without realising it, we both favoured the Steltman chair. Therefore we incorporated the chair in our logo", says Egbert Rietveld. "We will reproduce the furniture in the spirit of my grandfather and will replicate everything as closely as possible. We will however make use of modern day technologies if that enhances the quality of the furniture. So in that sense we're not purists." Rietveld is referring to the structural principle of continuous verticals and rails which are connected - invisibly - with dowel pins; a principle his grandfather often used from 1918 until about 1924. "If there are better alternatives, we will certainly consider them. Modern day glues for instance are definitely much stronger and more durable compared to those days. Furthermore, we will use spray where possible instead of 'the brush'; after all, these days my grandfather would have done the same.
We will not cover it all with a solid coat of varnish though, because in many designs the wood grain shows and such details are very important to the overall picture."
The Berlin chair and the Steltman chair will be available in both the left and right versions. The Steltman comes in clear varnish, white wash and white lacquer. The Military set will at least be available in black/white and possibly in other colour combinations.
|
Reproduction and interpretation
Ries Seijler continues: "Rietveld always tried to produce things in the easiest way possible. Actually, he had very modern ideas about automating as much as possible. The fact that the Panton Chair comes out of a machine with one push of a button for instance, he would have found fantastic. But with the techniques and materials of those days, he wasn't able to do what he wanted. He had to nail down the seat of the Military chair, because polyether glue simply wasn't available then. You can't deny us some pertness, but we are convinced that Rietveld too, had he been alive now, would have made different choices with regard to production, materials and such. Apart from the fact that we will improve the construction and apply different glue joints here and there, at times different materials are also required. Rietveld once designed a Berlin chair with a beech leg for example, but that hasn't resisted the ravages of time very well. So we will do it differently. We will also use stainless steel carriage bolts instead of nickel or iron ones. We make reproductions, but we will also make interpretations and we will always make choices which will not concede to quality. Look, we could make a Perspex Military chair. But where do you draw the line? In order to stay as pure as possible, we will therefore first submit any changes to the board of the Stichting Gerrit Th. Rietveld (Foundation Gerrit Th. Rietveld) and a recommending committee, which includes Cees Dam and Richard Hutten among others."
"By the way, Rietveld by Rietveld is unrelated to the foundation", says Egbert Rietveld. "We are and will remain board members with a view to continuity. However, to keep this as pure as possible also, we have decided to cancel our two-thirds majority in the board and increase the number of board members from three to five."
|
So many chairs, so many designs
The two second cousins are proud of the fact that the first prototypes were ready within a couple of months. "Particularly when you take into account that we encountered more problems than we could have anticipated, especially when it comes to measurements", says Egbert Rietveld. "Of course we visited various archives and museums first. It was funny to see how, on hearing my surname, doors suddenly literally opened themselves, and I was able to measure the models to the millimetre. But then we noticed something: much of the furniture in museums has warped extensively over the years. And: the various versions differed enormously measurement-wise compared to each other. The more we delved into things, the more models we measured and the more drafts we found - both from museums and Rietveld himself - the more it became clear that there were several versions of a certain piece of furniture. Looking back that's logical, bearing in mind that Rietveld often worked on commission. Take six Military chairs and you will have six different versions. The saying 'you enjoy it as it was made', spoken with a Utrecht accent, is still frequently coined in the family. We must realise that everything was handmade and it partly depended on what planks were available in the workshop. And it appears that on some occasions Gerard van de Groenekan handled the hand plane a bit longer than other times. For the record: Gerard started out as a carpenter's apprentice and later took over the furniture-making shop. Nevertheless, there is reasonable leeway measurement-wise; there is a margin to safely interpret Rietveld and we take that liberty."
Ries Seijler indicates they still have to learn to trust their instincts more. He tells about the time when they found a Military chair in a museum, which in their opinion, was too slender. "It turned out to be made to order. Rietveld's sketches did show somewhat wider legs. Look, the blood's there, so is the nose. It's a matter of smelling, touching, understanding, interpreting and learning to trust."
|
Money
"We fully realise some people will question our good intentions. In a negative sense, you could call it commercially exploiting Rietveld", Egbert Rietveld continues. "But that has definitely not been the basic principle. The most important thing is that we show the world that Rietveld is much more than just a Red-Blue or Zigzag chair. And anyway, what we do is no different from what any furniture factory does, it's just that we do it on a small scale. We clearly don't want expensive, limited editions in gold boxes with ribbons which will be for sale in museums and galleries, we want to spread out our range worldwide. Japan and the US in particular will probably be important export markets for us. The fact that it does come with a price tag is obvious from the quality and status of brand furniture. The furniture is manufactured with a lot of care and attention to detail and that's labour intensive and thus expensive. Additionally, a piece of furniture by Rietveld has historical added value. So like Cassina, we will put Rietveld in the top end of the market. In his time, Rietveld was a kind of Ikea avant-la-lettre, but nowadays he simply belongs to a higher level. We will make Rietveld wide-range, but it will never be a mass-produced item. Dutch mentality also plays a part in that. Something like: Do you really expect me to pay first class prices for some planks and a bit of glue? Those people rather buy the book 'How to make a DIY Rietveld'. Something I'm not too bothered about by the way."
A resolute Ries Seijler: "We're going to do it and we're going to do it well, because we believe in it. Financially, we've only put money into it. Besides, both of us have other ways to earn our living; I'm involved in project organisation and Egbert works for KLM. We will enter into a similar contract with Stichting Beeldrecht (Dutch Visual Arts Rights Foundation) as they did with Cassina, including the royalty payments to the family. Thus, Rietveld by Rietveld deliberately has no privileged position in that respect either."
The models produced by Cassina remain part of their 'I Maestri' range. They are the famous Red-Blue chair from 1918, the Zigzag chair (1934), the Divan table (1937) and the Utrecht sofa from 1935. The 'I Maestri' range also includes reproductions of work by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Renny Mackintosh and E. Gunnar Asplund.
|
Children's range
Each year, Rietveld by Rietveld wants to add new designs to its range. "Famous ones, but also models not yet known to the world. Things Rietveld has drawn, but never produced. Maybe because the time wasn't right, or maybe there simply was no interest for it", says Ries Seijler. "The suitable items run into many dozens of models: lounge chairs, dining chairs, armchairs, cabinets and tables. To that end, we will collaborate with a Dutch manufacturer able to handle both small and large quantities, with chair number 10 being exactly the same as chair number 1000. Because that is our aim: making Rietveld widely accessible instead of it just being a collector's item for the happy few." The Rietveld reproductions will be available worldwide through a select group of top shops. "We want the shopkeepers to include all models in some sort of private Rietveld corner", Ries Seijler continues. "We don't want them to pick out one single commercial model. The furniture will be numbered and comes with an introductory booklet about Rietveld and the relevant model. We endeavour to start supplying the first series in early 2005.
They already have ideas for a next series. "Rietveld made quite a lot of children's furniture: from cots to highchairs and from chests of drawers to a handcart. That may well be a new range", concludes Egbert Rietveld enthusiastically.
|
|
|
Note for the editor (not for publication)
For further information or a supplementary interview, please contact Rietveld by Rietveld: info@rietveld-by-rietveld.com, + 31 24 6633228
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
