The style between Utrecht and Amersfoort: in search of Rietveld and Mondrian

In 2017, De Stijl celebrates its hundredth anniversary. The regions of Utrecht and Amersfoort were an important backdrop for this movement, as the four most famous artists were born here: Theo van Doesburg, Bart van der Leck, Gerrit Rietveld, and Piet Mondriaan. Hop on your bike and discover the traces De Stijl has left in the region: from the museum dedicated to painter Piet Mondriaan to the numerous creations of furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld.
This route starts at (1) Castle Zuylen and leads past various attractions that relate to Piet Mondriaan or Gerrit Rietveld. Castle Zuylen is one of the oldest castles along the Vecht River. Surprisingly, Gerrit Rietveld began his career in this traditional environment. After elementary school, he started an apprenticeship with his father, who owned a furniture workshop in the Utrecht district of Wittevrouwen. Father Rietveld delivered some cabinets to the then lord of the castle, Baron van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Around 1905, Gerrit designed a table and three chairs for the gatehouse of the castle; it is his earliest known work. Anyone wishing to peek inside the castle can participate in a guided tour. From now until Sunday, September 24, 2017, it is possible to join the themed tour “Rietveld in Castle Zuylen.” During this tour, guides take visitors to this remarkable beginning of the young Rietveld. As part of the 100 years of De Stijl, there is a daily exclusive tour of the normally closed gatehouse. Reservations are necessary!
(Castle Zuylen, Tournooiveld 1, Oud-Zuilen, www.slotzuylen.nl, open Nov.-Mar. Sat.-Sun. 11-17, Apr.-Oct. Tue.-Sun. 11-17)
(2) The Centraal Museum houses the world’s largest Rietveld collection, from documents and models to chairs, cabinets, and lamps. A large part was personally donated by Rietveld on the occasion of his first retrospective in 1958. The main piece is the world-famous red-blue lounge chair, designed in 1918 and published in the magazine De Stijl in 1919. At that time, the chair was still unpainted. Only later did Rietveld, influenced by De Stijl, choose the colors red, blue, black, and yellow.
An admission ticket for the museum (or the museum card) also grants access to the Rietveld Schröder House (further on the route) - a reservation is required for that.
(Centraal Museum, Agnietenstraat 1, Utrecht, www.centraalmuseum.nl, Tue.-Sun. 11-17)
(3) Few cemeteries are as atmospheric as Soestbergen. Winding paths and decaying grave monuments create a nostalgic walk. From the entrance, go left to Rietveld's strikingly modern grave monument: a block-shaped stone with a slanted side. Rietveld was reinterred here by his children in 1995. Previously, he lay in Bilthoven next to Truus Schröder, the woman with whom he spent the last phase of his life. Another piece of remembrance of Rietveld can be found in section 12: He designed the monument for Evert Nijland, who passed away in 1909 and was the director of the Dutch Reformed citizens’ school in Utrecht. It is a simple pillar that stands out mainly for its inscription.
(4) Get off at the point where the Tamboersdijk crosses the Kromme Rijn, and follow the footpath along the northern bank for 100 m to the bench. Rietveld designed this bench in 1959 for the garden of the Calvé factory in Delft. The two apartments (1959) behind it also come from his hand. The brick house on the left (Breitnerlaan 9) is known as House Muus, named after the first residents. The neighboring house Theissing (Breitnerlaan 11) stands out mainly for its white walls and yellow color patches. The interior is typical of Rietveld: the interior walls can be moved, creating a large space. Theissing worked for the construction company Bredero, which had developed the B2 concrete blocks (by Bredero Beton) used to build the house. Unfortunately, a leak soon occurred - a flaw that frequently occurred in Rietveld's experimental apartments. The story goes that Mrs. Theissing once asked neighbors for buckets during a rain shower, crying.
(5) In 1917, Rietveld founded his own carpentry shop at Adriaen van Ostadelaan 93. A photo of him and his employees still adorns the side wall of the building. Rietveld, seated here in the chair that would later make him famous, had little regard for the traditional furniture of his father and experimented with light, functional furniture made from inexpensive materials, where the construction is often visible.
(6) Drive a short distance up the Rembrandtkade by the distinctive church: the block-shaped house with garage on the left (Waldeck Pyrmontkade 20) is known as the chauffeur's house. It dates back to 1928 and was intended for the chauffeur of Dr. H. van der Vuurst de Vries, who lived himself at Julianalaan 10. Rietveld used prefabricated elements, in this case a steel frame and concrete shells. For that time, this construction method was very innovative – and not entirely successful, as leaks also occurred here. The nicknames "the sieve" and "the basket" say enough in this regard.
(7) In 1927, Rietveld gave the house of Dr. H. van der Vuurst de Vries at Julianalaan 10 a thorough makeover. Until then, the house looked just like the other buildings in the block. Rietveld chose a flat roof and a taut façade with a black base.
(8) Rietveld achieved worldwide fame with two icons: the red-blue chair and the Rietveld Schröder House. Even today, this house (1924) appears revolutionary due to its extremely executed cubistic shapes and clear colors. For Rietveld, it was the first commission as an architect. The client was the strong-willed artist Truus Schröder-Schräder, with whom he had already collaborated before. Her husband had passed away shortly before, and she was looking for a new home for herself and her children. The result was this revolutionary house, whose exterior was derived from the design for the interior. The colors of De Stijl – blue, yellow, and red, complemented by white, black, and gray – run throughout. The family lived on the upper floor, which at the time still overlooked vast fields. Rietveld and Truus Schröder got along excellently. From 1925 to 1933, he had an office on the ground floor of the house, and after the death of his wife in 1958, he even moved in with her. The house is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
(Rietveld Schröder House, Prins Hendriklaan 50, Utrecht, Tue.-Sun. 11-17, visit reservation via www.centraalmuseum.nl)
(9) On the tiled walls of the viaduct, 32 chairs by Rietveld are depicted. This artwork (2001) by Margot Berkman and Eline Janssens is called Sitting in Blue, referring to the chairs and the blue tiles. It is clear to see that Rietveld strove for clear, functional designs suitable for mass production. In this regard, he was far ahead of his time: His chairs would not be out of place at Ikea. Unfortunately, his customers were not yet so modern-minded.
(10) In 1931, Rietveld designed two residential blocks on Erasmuslaan according to the ideas of the New Building movement. Characteristics of this movement: simple, functional designs built with (at that time) modern materials like steel and concrete. The residential blocks were to serve as models for social housing projects, but the implementation of a steel frame proved to be very expensive. Also, pay attention to the generous gallery balconies and the simple colors: Rietveld completely lets go of the color palette of De Stijl here.
(11) Only outside the route stands a creation by Gerrit Rietveld: Drive past node 81 along the square town hall tower (1st Dorpsstraat) and cross the street (Henriëtte van der Lijndenlaan) diagonally to the left at the end. A bit further on the right is a building that Rietveld designed in 1932 as a music school, with two attached apartments. Tand Technik Zeist is located on the ground floor. The building hardly stands out now with its angular shapes and concrete walls, but at the time, this design was very innovative. Compare this design language, for example, with the rural villas in the vicinity and the brick building (1928) at the beginning of Henriëtte van der Lijndenlaan.
(12) The architect Robert van ’t Hoff (1887-1979) briefly joined De Stijl until he had a political disagreement with Theo van Doesburg. Along the Amersfoortseweg, he built two very different houses. His studies in England are evident in the traditional villa Løvdalla (House no. 13), which he built for his parents in 1911. He then drew inspiration from the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright in America. This led to Villa Henny (House no. 11a), built partly hidden behind the bushes, in 1915-1916. The use of concrete skeleton construction was ultra-modern for the time, as were the clear shapes, white-rendered walls, balconies, and overhanging roof edges. For fans: In the nearby House ter Heide, he also designed the Verloop house (Ruysdaellaan 2), which is clearly inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.
(13) Not architecture, but nature is at the center of Park Vliegbasis Soesterberg. Thanks to the presence of the military – until their departure in 2008 – nature had free rein here for a long time. Even the grass strips along the runway are important due to the large population of skylarks. The National Military Museum illustrates military history over the millennia.
(National Military Museum, Verlengde Paltzerweg 1, Soest, www.nmm.nl, Tue.-Sun. 10-17, also Mon. during school holidays)
(14) The Rietveld pavilion De Zonnehof is slightly off the route: Drive to 98 on the Arnhemseweg, then take the first street on the right. The pavilion appears on the left behind the parking lot. It opened in 1959 and is a prime example of the functional, objective designs Rietveld created during this time. The rectangular facade surfaces, colors, and straight lines reflect De Stijl. The pavilion is used for exhibitions.
(15) Piet Mondriaan was born in 1872 in what is now the Mondriaanhuis. His father was the head teacher in the school that was also housed in the building. Piet Mondriaan would live there until he was eight years old. The museum takes visitors on a journey through his life and the development he underwent as a painter. Notably, there is a replica of his studio in Paris, fully furnished in the colors of De Stijl.
(Mondriaanhuis, Kortegracht 11, Amersfoort, www.mondriaanhuis.nl, from March 2017: Tue.-Sun. 11-17)
Icons of De Stijl
Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) started as a furniture maker with his father. He soon developed his own style: simple, taut furniture that formed a unity with the rest of the interior. From 1924 onward, he also worked as an architect, with the Rietveld Schröder House as his absolute masterpiece.
Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944) initially painted landscapes, buildings, and portraits. Afterward, his work became increasingly abstract. After 1917, influenced by De Stijl, he began to focus on compositions of black lines and areas in primary colors.