Exhibition ENSEMBLE
Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection
On 23 April 2025, the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) opened the exhibition Ensemble – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection, presenting original works by one of the most important designers and architects of the 20th century. A private collection of furniture and domestic objects, on public view for the first time, is contextualised within the MAO collection and the history of modernist design in Slovenia. The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Slovenia.
Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) was one of the most important designers and architects of the 20th century. Today, his legacy is most closely associated with his two iconic projects: the Red-Blue Chair and the Rietveld Schröder House, both recognised as symbols of modernism. His early work, characterised by abstract compositions of lines and planes, reflects the principles of the Dutch art movement De Stijl (1917–1931), which championed a bold geometric visual language and a belief in the transformative power of artistic practice. Rietveld pursued a vision of progress and rational design rooted in the exploration of simple forms and structures. As his career developed, he began to experiment with the innovative materials of the time, creating extraordinary furniture pieces such as the Zig-Zag Chair and the Beugel Chair.
Ensemble is the first exhibition in Slovenia to feature original works by Rietveld. The objects on display are from a private collection of furniture and household objects, now on public display for the first time. This collection, built up over several decades from the 1990s onwards, includes many key works from Rietveld’s furniture workshop. Founded in 1917, this workshop became the hub of Rietveld’s creative collaboration with the furniture maker Gerard A. van de Groenekan, where they spent decades developing new designs and producing variations and iterations of his seminal pieces.
The exhibition places this private collection within the broader context of the MAO collection and Slovenian modernist design. The works and projects of Oton Jugovec, Niko Kralj, Marjeta Pirkmajer Kregar, Gizela Šuklje, Ciril Tavčar and others are presented alongside Rietveld’s pieces, linking with them in terms of concept, material, or chronology to form a harmonious whole. Accompanied by a series of related programmes, the exhibition offers more than a retrospective view; it re-reads Rietveld’s design processes to highlight their unexpected relevance for today, particularly in their approach to natural resources, sustainable materials and social design.
“Remember that the earth’s natural resources were not all designated for us … Learn to enjoy the wealth of restraint.”
– Gerrit Rietveld, 1958
“The exhibition Ensemble – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection announces the upcoming exhibition cycle Unveiled Archives, which will launch at the Museum of Architecture and Design in autumn 2025. Conceived as a multi-year curatorial project, Unveiled Archives will treat the exhibition as a tool for opening up the museum’s lesser-seen processes to the public and will serve as a platform for public debate on the meaning of objects in the museum’s collection. The accompanying programme will focus on the contemporary relevance of Rietveld’s design approaches, while workshops for the youngest visitors will include activities with Lego bricks.”
– Maja Vardjan, Director of MAO
“Rietveld helped shape the identity of Dutch design — an identity rooted in clarity, bold thinking, and a refusal to separate aesthetics from ethics. His Red and Blue Chair is a symbol of a new way of thinking. A chair reduced to lines and planes, color and form, in perfect harmony.
I am extremely proud that this exhibition will showcase Rietveld’s work alongside key figures of Slovenian modernist design. Together, they offer us a lens through which to understand design not only as a discipline, but as a cultural exchange — one that bridges time, place, and perspective.”
– Johan O. Verboom, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Slovenia
Curator: Maja Vardjan
Exhibition Design: Matic Vrabič
Graphic Design: Rok Mar
Photography: Jaka Babnik
Translation and Language Editing: Katja Paladin, Darja Hrovatič, Jeff Bickert
Public Relations: Manca Košir, Blažka Kirm
Marketing: Ana Kandare
Technical Execution: Nejc Matjaž – Fabrikaid, Matjaž Rozina, Tadej Golob
Special Thanks: Martina Malešič, Nikola Pongrac, Cvetka Požar
Website: mao.si
Facebook: MAO Slovenija
Instagram: @mao_slovenia
