Gerrit Rietveld and Wim Rietveld

white polyester, grey painted metal legs

Domus, vol. 443, October 1966, ill. no. 10 in the report on 'Sedie ad Amsterdam'
Sylvia van Schaik et al., Mondial: Gispen & Gerrit Th. Rietveld, Culemborg, 2006

Barbara Laan, André Koch, Collectie Gispen meubels, lampen en archivalia in het NAi 1916-1980, Rotterdam, 1997, pp. 125-126: explanation; illustration of a sketch for the World Exposition with armchairs in situ and a photograph of the exposition space with chairs without arms in situ; illustration of the prototype aluminium chair without arms and p. 62 for an illustration of the polyester version
Ed van Hinte, Wim Rietveld Industrieel Ontwerper, Rotterdam, 1996, pp. 26, 63-66: explanation; (illustrated) and the chair without arms
Peter Vöge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, Rotterdam, 1993, pp. 158 & 159, no. 344 (illustrated)
Marijke Kper, Ida van Zijl, Gerrit Th. Rieveld 1888-1964 Het volledige werk, Centraal Museum Utrecht, 1992, p. 285, no.532 and pp. 291-292, no. 544
Peter Vöge, Bab Westerveld, Stoelen Nederlandse ontwerpen 1945-1985, Amsterdam, 1986, pp. 102-103, no. 101, polyester version illustrated
Items, 16/1985, Openbaar Kunstbezit, Goed van Vorm, Solide en Goedkoop, pp. 10-17; explanation; illustration of chair without arms Haro Plantenga, G.Th. Rieveld, Stedelijk Museum Museum, Amsterdam, 198, p. 28, no. 98,99, polyester version illustrated
Daniele Baroni, The Furniture of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, New York, 1978, p. 159, no. 66

A striking pair of good overall appearance. Of a slightly warmer, creamier tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. This lot underwent restoration recently to remove red paint, applied around 30 years ago, that previously covered them. Images of the lot before restoration are available upon request. The red paint was removed from the white polyester shell and then from the legs to reveal the original grey paint. Some minor discolouration in places. Areas of chipped or missing paint to the legs were retouched in grey paint. Minor restoration was also carried out to the seat shells, with a 2.5cm hairline crack repaired to the front edge area of one. Old marks, chips and scratches in places. A rare design, ready for display.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Mondial chair was designed by Gerrit and Wim Rietveld for the Dutch Pavillion of the World's Fair, Brussels, of 1958. As Wim Rietveld acknowledges "[My father] had a good eye for shapes and proportions, while I was good on the technical side. So he was the designer and I was the one who made it" (van Schaik op. cit., p. 9).

The Mondial was produced by the Dutch firm Gispen, where Wim Rietveld had worked as an industrial designer since 1953. Two prototypes (one with and one without armrests) were made with aluminium seats but Gispen decided to replace this material with polyester to enhance its durability. After winning a gold medal at the Milan Triennale in 1957, the chair was marketed as being available with five colour seats but was destined to be only in production for a short time and in limited numbers.

In the event, only 5 Mondial chairs (in white) were used for the World's Fair. The chair was in production for a short period of time and a former Gispen employee puts the number made at just 250. At the current time far fewer are known and under 20 are currently located.  Other examples are in the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and the Centraal Museum (Utrecht).

This lot is sold together with a copy of the above text by van Sylvia Schaik.

Sotheby's would like to thank Peter Wever, co-author of the chapter 'The Mondial: Rietveld's chair for the world' in Van Schaik (op.cit.), for examining the chairs and his assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.