Rietveld's Universe
20.10.2010 - 30.01.2011
The Centraal Museum, Nicolaaskerkhof 10, 3512 XC Utrecht, Netherlands
The exhibition Rietveld's Universe points out that Utrecht architect and designer Gerrit Th. Rietveld (1888-1964) designed much more than only the classic Red-Blue chair and the famous Rietveld Schroder House. Rietveld realized more than one hundred buildings and many pieces of furniture.
The Centraal Museum places Rietveld's work in a broad context. By focusing attention on the person Rietveld and his manner of working and by comparing him and his work with famous contemporaries like Wright, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, the creative genius of Rietveld is set in a new light and a new image of Rietveld?s contribution to 20th century architecture and design is presented. The exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Netherlands Architecture Institute.
Rietveld's Universe
At the centre of the exhibition is Gerrit Rietveld's experimental way of working. For example, his search for the chair from-one-piece, from which the zigzag chair originated, can be followed. By putting Rietveld's work next to that of his contemporaries, it becomes clear that as an architect and designer he was sometimes even more radical than colleagues like Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. It also turns out that on crucial moments, artists like Van der Leck and Van Doesburg have had a decisive influence on Rietveld's work. In its turn, Rietveld's work has been of great importance to the development of architects and designers like Breuer and Aalto.
Collaborative project
The exhibition Rietveld's Universe is realized by the Centraal Museum and the Netherlands Architecture Institute, at the initiative of the Centraal Museum, the Technical University Delft and the University of Utrecht. The result of this collaboration is a high-quality exhibition and an exchange of ideas which will create an enrichment of the debate about Rietveld. The exhibition features works on loan from important national and international collections from the Centre Pompidou and the Fondation le Corbusier in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rein, the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin and the archives of the GTA Zurich.
Rietveld Year
The city of Utrecht is rightly proud of the fact that most of the Rietveld buildings are within its city limits and that the municipal museum owns that largest Rietveld collection in the world. 2010 has been proclaimed as international Rietveld Year. It will be the starting point of a longterm campaign to profile Rietveld as an icon of Utrecht and to permanently link his name to the city. The Rietveld Year is kicked off on 24 June, Rietveld's birthday. From that moment on, various activities will be organized in the city, the province, and elsewhere. See www.rietveldjaar.nl
Part of Holland Art Cities
The exhibition is part of the official programme of Holland Art Cities 2009-2010. During this period the four major Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht) will focus on the theme of art and culture during the event 'Holland Art Cities'. For this event ten leading museums will combine forces in order to present an unprecedented supply of art focusing on various themes. For more information see: www.hollandartcities.com.
Centraal Museum
The Centraal Museum shows that Utrecht has, for many centuries, been regarded as a breeding ground for artistic and cultural talent on a national and international level. The Centraal Museum is the oldest municipal museum in the Netherlands and owns the largest collection of Rietveld objects in the world, such as the famous Rietveld Schroder House which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The museum also has on display the works of the internationally renowned Dick Bruna and a collection of old masters which includes works by the likes of Jan van Scorel, Abraham Bloemaert and Hendrick ten Brugghen. Besides the works of these Utrecht icons, the Centraal Museum also offers an overview of 2000 years of turbulent history. At the moment the museum features exhibitions about contemporary fashion, design and visual arts. Each year, the Centraal Museum attracts over 125.000 visitors. |
December 2010
