press release Red blue Lego chair Amsterdam, October 26th, 2010
Centraal Museum Utrecht acquires Red blue Lego chair Centraal Museum Utrecht acquired the artist’s proof #1 edition of Red blue Lego chair from the Droog collection. It will be exhibited at Rietveld’s Universe as part of Rietveld Year organized by the Centraal Museum in Utrecht to celebrate the life and heritage of Gerrit Rietveld from October 20th, 2010 until January 30th, 2011. Designed by Mario Minale in 2004, the Lego version of the iconic Red blue chair is 6% larger because it is dictated by the Lego brick size. It was developed in the spirit of Rietveld’s original intention to make the design widely available, but copyright laws prevented this Lego version from being mass-produced. “I am triggered by this contradiction—between the intentions of the chair and the restrictive copyright laws. As technology makes copying easier, we need to approach this issue creatively,” says co-founder and director of Droog, Renny Ramakers. Designer Mario Minale states: “When I combined the iconic Red blue chair with equally iconic Lego blocks, the spirit of the two icons aligned and the result was a new breed that resonates. Making a copy doesn’t always turn out a copy. It is an authentic act that can have new outcomes.” Ida van Zijl, design curator at Centraal Museum states: “Rietveld was a master that made and continues to make people think about design. His presence in works by contemporary designers and in design discussions shows the actual value of Rietveld today.” The Centraal Museum boasts an extensive collection of works by Droog, ranging from classics such as the Chest of Drawers by Tejo Remy (1991) and the Tree-trunk bench by Jurgen Bey (1999) to the complete 14 piece saved by droog. collection of 2010. The Museum manages a varied collection of design, including the largest Rietveld collection in the world consisting of more than 250 objects. Rietveld’s Universe 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 Schröder House. Rietveld realized more than one hundred buildings and many pieces of furniture. The exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Netherlands Architecture Institute. Centraal Museum Utrecht October 20th, 2010 - January 30th, 2011 For more information click here. About Mario Minale Italian born, German raised Mario Minale graduated in Industrial Design at the University of Wuppertal. After receiving his IM Master degree at the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2005, he jointly established Minale-Maeda in Rotterdam with fellow graduate Kuniko Maeda. Living in a melting pot with their intercultural backgrounds gives the duo a broad perspective on material culture. www.minale-maeda.com
droog
Droog Staalstraat 7a
1011 JJ Amsterdam The Netherlands
t +31(0)20 523 50 50 f +31(0)20 320 17 10
press@droog.com www.droog.com