Page "Gerrit Rietveld" Paragraph 1

Rietveld was born in Utrecht in 1888 as the son of a joiner.

He left school at 11 to be apprenticed to his father and enrolled at night school before working as a draughtsman for C. J. Begeer, a jeweller in Utrecht, from 1906 to 1911.

By the time he opened his own furniture workshop in 1917, Rietveld had taught himself drawing, painting and model-making.

He afterwards set up in business as a cabinet-maker.