Gerrit Rietveld: Wealth of Sobriety

In 2018 Dutch photographer Arjan Bronkhorst published the photographic volume Wealth of Sobriety based on a several-years-long project of photographing lesser-known houses by the renowned architect Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964). A selection of the projects published in the book are on view at the Center for Architecture.

Bronkhorst’s book contains almost 400 photographs and tells the story of Rietveld and his encounters with clients. Of the 20 houses documented in the book, this exhibition features photography of 15, constructed from 1924 until 1963, including one in Oberlin, Ohio—the only detached house designed by Rietveld outside of the Netherlands. Commissioned and built by Professor Parkhurst in 1961, very little had been known about the Ohio project prior to Bronkhorst’s photography.

While the book is organized chronologically by project, Bergdoll and Bronkhorst’s exhibition creates a visual narrative, juxtaposing details from different houses and inviting visitors into Rietveld’s world through salient aesthetic attributes and patterns.

Photography: Arjan Bronkhorst

Curators: Arjan Bronkhorst and Barry Bergdoll

Graphic Design: Ian Sullivan