Rietveld, Gerrit (Thomas)

(born June 24, 1888, Utrecht, Neth.—died June 25, 1964, Utrecht) Dutch architect and furniture designer. He was an apprentice in his father's cabinetmaking business (1899–1906) and later studied architecture in Utrecht. In 1918 he created his famous red-and-blue armchair, which, with its emphasis on geometry and use of primary colours, became a symbol of De Stijl. His masterpiece is the Schroeder House in Utrecht (1924), remarkable for its interplay of right-angle forms, planes, and lines, and for its use of primary colours.

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