High Chair
1920 (designed), 1960s (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This child's high-chair was designed in 1920 by the Dutch designer, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888-1964). He was a member of the De Stijl movement and was influenced greatly by its geometric designs and bold primary colours. This high-chair is designed in the De Stijl style using Rietveld's recognisable bright red painted wood in a geometric form. It was made in the 1960s by one of Rietveld's assistants, Gereard van de Groenekan, who took over his furniture workshop in 1924.
This chair illustrates how design became important in childhood objects. It moves away from the practical nature of a high-chair and instead shows how designers interwove art movements into their design to create a commonly used object, allowing design to meet function in a childhood object.
This chair illustrates how design became important in childhood objects. It moves away from the practical nature of a high-chair and instead shows how designers interwove art movements into their design to create a commonly used object, allowing design to meet function in a childhood object.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted wood with leather |
| Brief description | Child's high-chair, designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1920, made in the 1960s. |
| Physical description | High-chair made from straight, overlapping lengths of wood, painted red with cream ends, with a brown leather seat and back. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unlimited edition |
| Gallery label | Squares for chairs
Gerrit Rietveld didn’t like objects looking too busy or complicated. He believed anything could be made from simple shapes and colours. This bright red highchair only uses straight lines and squares.
[Young V&A, Imagine Gallery short object label] (2023) |
| Object history | Object purchased from Christies South Kensington |
| Summary | This child's high-chair was designed in 1920 by the Dutch designer, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888-1964). He was a member of the De Stijl movement and was influenced greatly by its geometric designs and bold primary colours. This high-chair is designed in the De Stijl style using Rietveld's recognisable bright red painted wood in a geometric form. It was made in the 1960s by one of Rietveld's assistants, Gereard van de Groenekan, who took over his furniture workshop in 1924. This chair illustrates how design became important in childhood objects. It moves away from the practical nature of a high-chair and instead shows how designers interwove art movements into their design to create a commonly used object, allowing design to meet function in a childhood object. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.1-2008 |
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| Record created | September 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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