PAGINA’S 15-31 15 - - - - - ­ ­ Until now there have 1 A REFLECTION The new research project 2 Marie-Thérèse Thoor van 3 The materialization of external and internal walls, in walls,internal andexternal of materialization The made made it possible to put these accounts on a scientific footing and to enrich them by means of extensive ar rations, all personal1929). (b. accountsMulder Bertus tect, by the restoration archi chivalconver researchoralhistoryand of formthe in sations with Mulder. plaster- and paintwork played a key role in Rietveld’s Rietveld (1888-1964), a fame equal to that of LeCorbu famethatequal to a of Rietveld(1888-1964), sier or Mies van der Rohe. In late a 2015, Keeping it Modern Grant from the Getty re enabled Foundation search to be carried out into the restorations of the house in the and 1970s 1980s. been only a few publications devoted to these resto - - - -

). For the inhabitantsthe For ). fig. 1 )) CMU RIETVELD SCHRÖDERHUIS THE RESTORATIONS OF THE OF THE THERESTORATIONS The The World Heritage List currently num 1. The Rietveld Schröder House in , Unesco World Heritagesince monument 2000, PoelstraphotoStijn 2018 scape. But elsewhere in the world this one house (and that chair) earnedone red-blue its architect, Gerrit T. um and since 2013 it has been part of the collection of of collection thepart beenof has it 2013 since and um ( Museum Centraal Utrecht’s street Utrecht the of part simply is house the city the of (Centraal Museum, Utrecht ( bers ten mostsites, of which are related toThe water. exceptions are Factory theNelle Van and the only pri vate home on the list, muse a as the opened house the Rietveld 1987 In Utrecht. in Schröder House (1924) m

) 3. Just before the restoration theRietveld Schröder House, thegrey values and intensity theof exterior colour scheme werescarcely discernible; the greysmoreover, had 2. At the beginning of the the 1970s poor state of repair of the Rietveld Schröder HouseUtrechts was(Het clearlyArchive) visible acquiredtinge ‘bluish’ a (RietveldSchröder Archive, CMU

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------8 In the 9 In 1975, 11 Mrs Schröder, along with her children, was 10 In the 1950s In and the ’60s there1950s was renewed interest in Over the years the house underwent several alter thanks in part to the effortsof theStichting Rietveld Schröder Huis, the house acquired national heritage initially closely involved relating inimportant decisions the in and Huis Schröder the Stichting mem Rietveldfoundation’s The house. the of restoration the to bers included experts from the worldchitecture, of such designas Pieter and Singelenberg, ar Hugo Isaac, Alexander Bodon and Willem Sandberg. ing after Rietveld’s death – probably in the late 1960s – 1960s late the in probably – death after Rietveld’s ing to precisely the same Schröder’s satisfaction. She appreciated the fact specificationsthat and to Van Santen, who Mrs had started out as a vehicle painter, had spray enjoyed Rietveld’s confidence. However, she was not at all impressed by Van Poppel, the firm later. years eight exteriorthe part of paintedthat , Rietveld and the Schröder House. There was even talk of a veritable ‘revival’ of De Stijl, which was presented abroad as a national Dutch style. 3). and 2 (figs. repair of state poor very a in death, veld’s sta heritage for enough ‘old’ yet not but famous, World facing was house the lady, elderly an by owned and tus an uncertain future. This changed in when 1970 the threeand up set was Huis SchröderRietveld Stichting years later purchased the house from Mrs Schröder. Henceforth the foundation was responsible for conservation, the maintenance and (forthcoming) resto rations of the house and for securing an appropriate future function for the house, which was no longer called the Schröder House but the Rietveld Schröder House. his practice from the house, in the ground-floor room ground-floor thein house, practicethehisfrom originallycon had been street, which the overlooking ceived as a garage. He died in the Schröder House in 1985. April in Schröder 1964, June ations. In Rietveld 1936 renovated the upstairs bath a into bedroom adjoining Schröder’s turned and room kitchen, enabling her to live on the upper floor and to rent out the ground-floor rooms. In that sameRietveld year designed a rooftop roomwhere anddesired so withdraw she could if she which for Schröder to she was invisible to the inquisitive gazes of architec ture aficionados and other passers-by.exhibi major first The the of ahead dismantled was room rooftop tion on Rietveld’s work in the Centraal Museum in 1958. As long as he lived, Rietveld himself what maintenance decided work be should how done, repairs should be carried out and which colours should be used time each the was house repainted. exterior The of the house was painted to Rietveld’s specifications for the last by time the Utrecht in firm 1963 van J.F. of Santen. Van Santen also carried out the first repaint same period the Schröder House started to more exhibit and more defects and it was, certainly after Riet

------, with the caption 7 De Stijl How do Mulder’s resto Mulder’s do How 4 Later, in 1958, Rietveld talked to the journal 5 Right from the beginning the house was re 6 Truus Schröder lived in the Schröder House from design ideas. During the restorations, too, (problems scheme colour of choice the plasterworkand the with) is it retrospect in concern; of points major be to proved structural more intervenbigger, than therather they, 1925 onwards for over 1925 sixty years; first withher three children and, once they had orhome, left alone occa sionallywith tenants. After Vrouwgienwife Rietveld’s beginningthe at Truus;with in moved he 1957, in died run had Rietveld 1933), and 1924 (betweencareer his of

garded as emblematic of De Stijl architecture, but that architecture, but Stijl De of emblematic as garded Rietveld’s while, short a exaggeration.For an of bit a is did indeed displaywork certain similarities with that thisin home at artistsalsofelt Stijl he Deand other of 1920s the of half second the than later no by but group, Stijl. De from on moved had he ist Bibeb about his contacts with De Stijl: ‘I joined the De Stijl group and met people who were making the same kind of things as I was. It was in the air. Even Lissitzky, who came from Russia, work.’ made the same ‘G. ‘G. Rietveld & Schrader, Maison de Mme Schrader a Utrecht’. ic ic and yet simple appearance, has come to occupy a special place in the history of the twentieth-century thanyearafterless a 1925, November In family house. a included (1883-1931) Doesburgvan Theo completion, photograph of the house in ditional middle-class home should be organized, fur organized, be should home middle-class ditional nished and lived in. Together, Rietveld and Schröder came up with a design that, with its colourful, dynam Rietveld designed the Schröder House in close collab close in House SchröderRietveld the designed oration her with with accorded that house a wanted She the (1889-1985). client, Truus Schröder-Schräder modern ideas on living and raising children, which differed markedly from prevailing views on how a tra THE SCHRÖDER HOUSE, WORLD-FAMOUS BUT WITHWORLD-FAMOUSBUT HOUSE, SCHRÖDER THE UNCERTAINANFUTURE veld. Rietveld Schröder House has to be frequently painted, frequently be to has House SchröderRietveld will restoration another future the in time some at and undoubtedly be necessary. There is much to be said then for not focusing on a single aspect, but taking a broader, more holistic view of this ‘re-creation’ of Riet ration activities relate to the values and fabric of the heritage building? Is this ‘technically improved Riet and building, original the as monument same the veld’ what is still Apart‘authentic’? from addressing these questions, this article also touches on the role of the client and the heritage authorities. A house like the nically improved Rietveld’. tions, that prompted this reflection. Mulder the According house to is now in state’; its he has, in his own ‘definitive words, turned it into original a ‘tech

) ------CMU In July and 20 22 ) fig. 7 This statement would 19 21 (2018), Mulder described Mulder (2018), (RietveldSchröder Archive, Notitie during the restoration of the exterior, 1974 This proved effective because the house house the because effective proved This 18 4. The Rietveld Schröder House in the scaffolding In 1974 In the 1974 brickwork and render were cracked in Recent Recent research has shown that the problems with ter remained in place on the wallthe kitchen theon beneath remained place terin front the surfacesof white the parts of on and window entrance wall and the rear wall ( terwork was partially removed and late in redone. Eventually, more. But once returnedcracks hairline the and Mulder thetodecided stripclient the prob 1978, lematical wall back to the brickwork. That substrate proved to be homogeneous and of reasonably good earlier quality. The repairs with synthetic mortar had contained report this on well. Mulder’s (1980) up held a notable sentence: ‘The other plasterwork that had remained in place during the restoration had to be removed as well in order to obtain a single homoge neous layer of render and to avoid bonding problems between old and new work.’ (2009) and in a recent recent a inand (2009) how he tackled these problems invasively and using contemporary materials and techniques. He did not approach the task like a restoration architect, but ‘in part by reconstructing the form in a technically supe rior manner.’ withdealing rust. In and moisture to due places many these problems, Mulder was advised by J.F. Geerken from the Stichting Onderzoek en Voorlichting, a re firmsspecializing informationfor searchandbody in plastering, terrazzo and plasterboard. vised on the method and Geerkenthe specific compositionof ad the materials. To repair the cracks in the brickwork, a withcoated wassyntheticmortar that a used Mulder coat rendering thethat ensure syntheticto dispersion would adhere. Where cracked, a new rendering coat sufficed. onlyLike Rietveld, the plasterwork plasterertherender. hadsandthe Mulder was August 1974, the walls were painted.August 1974, But that was not exterior. the of restoration the of end the the plasterwork soon returned. The paintwork again was exhibiting cracks, the new coat of render had failed to adhere, and there were dark patches in the coat of paint. In October 1975, therefore, the new plas appear to imply that Mulder stripped all the wallsandtheallstripped Mulder that imply to appear then had them replastered and repainted, which and 5 is (figs. show alsophotographstoappearthe what 6). But if we examine thecan photographs also see areas still with intact, as the render such more closely,the wall we below the ground-floor windowoverlooking PrinsHendriklaan. Mulder recently recalled that plas is currently still in a structurallycurrentlystilla isand in condition sound subsidence. ofsign no thereis

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Mulder 15 14 ), ), let it be ). ). The house RDMZ According to this fig. 4 16 17 Het Het Rietveld Schröderhuis , which did not even appoint a appoint even not did which , RDMZ The local heritage department raised 13 12 The The restoration of the exterior was carried out be Thefoundation chose Mulder because he was famil charter, the historical layering of the building fabric is fabric building the of historicallayering the charter, fundamental to a andmonument its restoration. For their part, Schröder and Mulder immediately agreed originalmost its returned‘to be should house the that state’. This, they believed, was the best way of doing justice to the essence of Rietveld’s work in which the spatial effect was paramount. tween March and September ( 1974 wallsdamagetoand serious caused rustturehad and roof. In his contribution to

tionally accepted restoration principles, like those laid those like principles, restoration accepted tionally down in 1964 in the Venice Charter. could that problems withbeset was and stable not was be attributed to the unusual experiments with combinations and of traditional and modern materials (brick, steel, concrete) and to their properties. Mois THE RESTORATION OF THE EXTERIOR, 1974-1975 EXTERIOR,RESTORATIONTHETHE 1974-1975 OF AND1978-1979 It is hardly surprising then that Mulder himself, in consultation with Truus Schröder, determined from any input without the restoration, for principles the the heritage authorities, but with the approval of the foundation. He did not feel constrained by interna known that the city should keep out of things. of out keep should city the that known dienst voor de Monumentenzorg ( iar with and himwork had for evenRietveld’s worked expertise fewa hadno years for He in the early 1960s. inrestoration. mission mission for the restoration of the which interior, was not carried out until Truus house. Schröder had left the status along with various grants; these, supplemented supplemented grants;these,various with along status In possible. restoration the made donations, private by Bertus 1973, Mulder had received the commission to supervise the restoration the of exterior, and this was followed ten years by inlater, the October com 1983, was acceptable to acceptable was site. on inspect work tothe anyone supervisor send or inwithexperience nobody was there thatwas fact The the restoration of Swighem, recent van architecture.Cees general, director According acting the to Mulder, gettinginvolved. from officials his forbidden even had included members foundation’s the that enough was It architecture. modern understood who people objections objections to Mulder because he was considered to have ‘destroyed a heritage building’ with an earlier renovation, but the national heritage thebody, Rijks

BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 18

6. The bare brickwork of the wall on Prins Hendriklaan in On the 1979. wall below the windowformerstudio (bottom still is render (Bertus ofleft) Rietveld’s visible Mulder archive) 5. the In 1979 Rietveld Schröder House was once again scaffolded after the reappearancewith ofthe plasterwork. the problemsLarge areas werefirstrender of chipped a afteraway, new coatwhich applied was (Bertus Mulder archive)

BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 20 BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 21 - - It is likely that the composition and intensity 26 mined the final colours on the spot, spot, together the on with the finalthemined colours painter. wrote and spoke regularly about space; in a architecture lecture in he 1963 and underlined the impor tance of the sensory experience of architecture. The visibility of space and surfaces required matter and matter of reflection light thebecause allcolour, above is caused by In colour. using differentshades of grey, pale grey or conversely very dark grey, Rietveld was aiming to achieve spatial different effects. Henot did on decide he did nor and fixed rules to according work the greys beforehand; there are drawings no showing the original colour scheme. Instead, Rietveld deter of of the greys were readjusted each time the house was

- - 25 IQ After a 23 ). Mulder fig. 8 Mulder repeatedly stressed that deciding 24 The reflection of light on walls and in colours was very was colours in walls and on light of reflection The important for Rietveld. From the 1920s onwards he used a durable wall paint from Sikkens – Alphatex – which he considered suitable for a house with sin sides’. all on ‘ventilate thatwalls brick gle-leaf After the problems with the plasterwork ( tified,1979 house was the repainted in had been rec DETERMININGCOLOURSTHE 7. Only the thepart upperon render the of white7. wall beside the frontthe of Rietvelddoor Schröder Housewas chipped away (Bertus in 1979 Mulder archive) on on the colour scheme, especially the shades of grey, was the most difficult task ofentirethe restoration. bit bit of experimenting, Rietveld had has which Sikkens, by over taken opted later Alphaverf, from for paint supplied the paint for the (Rietveld) Schröder House ever since. - - 31

Afterwardshe threw the samples 29 He painted the steel components of the 30 ). fig. 11 house in yellow and black; frames, windows and doors and windowsframes, black; and yellow in house white, yellow, inwith accents also paintedblack, were red and He thenblue. developed the colour composi tion of the plasterwork using fiveshades of grey plus reinstated words, own his in had, he doing so In white. Rietveld’. of spirit the ‘in contrast colour earlier the research on the Despite havinghouse. been prepared in he removed, been had layers earliest the that find to fact various encountered finish coats for colours, and exampleon the chimney and the analysedtakenHe wall samples 10). belowand 9 (figs. window the en kitch from these areas and took the results into account in his deliberations. away ( - - - - - In addition he 28 An examination of the histori the of examination An 27 Mulder Mulder set great store by Truus Schröder’s opinion veld. Nevertheless,veld. he also carried his out own colour cal photographs of the Schröder House from the peri confirms thatod over 1925-1975 the years, the house had started to look quite sition and different colour intensity of and the that various wallsvaried.white grey the and compo when determining the colour scheme. repainted. According to Mulder, the walls were sup posed to be repaired and repainted every five years. existingthe over applied then were paint of coatsNew ones or, if the paint layers were too thick they were sometimes removed. (Het (Het Archive) 8. The exterior The 8. the of Rietveld Schröder newHouseina colour composition designtoa byBertus photo1981 Mulder, relied on his own experiences while working with Riet

BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 22 BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 23

11. Samples11. of render and colourwereinitially collected andsorted thefor colour research;afterwards they werethrown away (Bertus Mulder archive) 10. Various10. shades of grey cametheto windowlighton belowthe kitchen window. Bertus Mulder based the grey thisfor surface the darkon greyinthe righttop corner (Bertus Mulder archive) 9. In several places, such as the chimney,on here Bertus Mulder discovered various remnantsandrenderof finish coats (Bertus Mulder archive) 12. The bedroom of the Schröder daughters around 1925, with the beds in the night-time position. The grey of the vertical strip beside the door continues through onto the balcony wall (Rietveld Schröder Archive, CMU)

13. The Schröder daughters’ bedroom in 2018, photo Stijn Poelstra (CMU) BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 25 - - - - - Because the Because 37 Although she The traditional 35 36 34 ). Before allowing the old plaster to be cartedbe to plaster allowingold the Before ). fig. 14 The The unimpeded spatial experience that the recre Bertus Mulder had become so familiar with the position position and sanded the achieve base to order in motion circular coat a in board’ wooden ‘with jute on a Rietveld. under as effect grainysame the alterations to the house, which were part and parcel of of parcel andpart were which house, the to alterations the heritage building. However, his ‘overruled’. objection was deliver to intended was situation 1925-1930 the of ation was most evident on the which upper floor, was to be returned to the original situation. sacrificed. be to have would her for ly terwork were repaired and renewed as with the exteri or ( away and examined destroyed, Mulder with it respect to colour and composition. The plasterer, H. van de correctcom the using plaster new theKant,prepared agreed with this decision, it nevertheless pained Truus pained nevertheless it decision, this with agreed loving so carried out Rietveldhad alterations the that layout of the ground floor was not altered. not was floor ground the of layout look to where exactlyknew he that years the over house for original traces and other clues of importance wallsfor the rigorously: work to set He reconstruction. the were chipped back to the bare bricks and the ceiling was demolished, after which thebrickwork andplas - - - - - Mulder’s aim was to cre 32 . Wim Denslagen arguedDenslagen Wimthat . RDMZ Truus Schröder, too, believed that after 33 the future museum house would in that case ignore the history of Schröder’s occupancy and of Rietveld’s 14. During the restoration of the upper floor of the Rietveld Schröder House Bertus1985-1986, in Mulderwalls completely and stripped ceiling (Bertusthe Mulder archive) tancethisfromto nal spatialthe Stichting impression. In Rietveld1981 Schröder Huis had decided that the guiding principle the restorationfor be the ‘to of interior returnshould the house in an abstract manner to the situation of 1925-1930’. tion of greys on the exterior.ate a balanced, harmonious and impeccable image with colours and surfaces that would restore the origi lour, as can be seen in historicalincanas seen behad he photographs, lour, This 13). and 12 (figs. repaintedwall this of exterior the meant that he ended up redoing the entire composi In 1986, In while 1986, stripping back the walls on the upper Mulder discoveredof afloor of house, layer below the bedroom, daughters’ the been had what in paint white a shadedifferentof grey from theonehe had used in for the Becauseadjoining balcony. 1979 this wall was supposed to run from insideto outside in the same co THE INTERIOR,THENEVERTHELESS SAME,THEBUT DIFFERENT? her death the house should not be presented ‘as if she she if ‘as presented be not should house thedeath her manifesto a as newbut a of architecture left’, just had and a new way of living. Initially there was some resis

- - - - conclud TNO In October 2016 39 (Netherlands Organ Delft and the TNO TU 40 ). ). This turned out to be a blessing in disguise In 2018, as a result of more extensive historical fig. 15 because it provided an opportunity to have the plaster the opportunityhavean toprovided it because analysedby a piece of plaster came loose from a wall in the study ( isation for Applied ScientificResearch). ed that the sample could wellinal be a remnant plaster. of the orig research and conversations with Mulder, it seemed repainted in the same colours that he impor less of eyes, his in was, encountered floor ground The there. tance for the architectural value.

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Mulder Mulder proudly maintains that there is not a centi ) interior had been less frequently painted than the ex metre of colour that was not determined by him. Most Most him. bydetermined not wasthat colour of metre withconsultationreconstitutedin were colours the of the Sikkens laboratory. Only in those ground parts floor of that were the not demolished ored reconstruct – in the particularsmall study – did Mulder have walls and ceilings Rietveld’s former studio and terior, terior, Mulder’s ‘scraping’ in search layers of of underlying paint yielded more information of about basis the formed information the This original colours. scheme. colour ‘harmonious’ new his CMU of the of study the on ground of floor the RietveldSchröder House,photo Edgar Riessen( 15. In October15. 2016 a plasterpiece of came loosethe southon wall BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 26 BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 27 ------

The accep 44 16. The south The wall 16. the of study the on ground of floor the RietveldSchröder House,undated historicalphoto (Bertus Mulder archive) 43 Much has already been written about authenticity, in authenticity, about written been already has Much ument – lies not in the occupational history, but in the in but history, occupational the in not lies – ument originalitywas theand ideas theof It design concept. built as a manifesto of De Stijl principles. Therefore, according to this dossier, the house satisfies all as pectsauthenticity of asformulated Modern Move for authen merely not is monument buildings. The ment spatialorganizationin form, in design, and idea in tic constructionin authentic also is it appearance;in and materials.in even details,and and and architecture modernist to regard with particular the reconstruction of modern heritage. tance of theuse reconstructionand welcome a is intervention authentic an as ples of ideas and design princiful legitimization where the original reinstatement materials of the or constructions is alsoit But at odds withsible. previously mentioned is virtually impos together monument conservinga at aiming principles

- - - TNO The SRAL ) con 41 ). SRAL fig.17 ). Accordingly, Accordingly, ). fig. 16 42 and Stichting Restauratie Limburg Atelier ( reasonable to surmise the continued presence of some some of presence continued the surmise to reasonable original plaster finishplus coatson both the exterior and the ground-floor interior ( was also able to state that parts of the ground floor had floor ground the of partsthat state to able also was been repainted three times since the restoration, in colours that deviate from both the restoration period and the period(s) before that. WHAT IS AUTHENTIC? According to the nomination dossier for the Unesco World Heritage list, the significance of the Rietveld mon as and historical document as – House Schröder od’, be od’, it highly concentrated in specific areas. ducted a limited follow-up investigation ( investigation limitedfollow-up a ducted results confirmed theSchröder House still supposition: contains material remnants the of the exterior and interior Rietveld skin from the ‘Rietveld peri

------Truus 48 ). Below the Below ). fig. 18 house, she was the client and was theshe client house, , her name was alongside that of of that alongside was name her , her De Stijl De To this a fourth option can be added, namely 47 one in which justice is done to each of those choices in choices those of each to done is justice which in one house. the partsof different nishing of the museum house. Meticulous compari son of photographs from different historical periods yields a picture of a furnishing concept that was not always consistently applied, but from which the occu pational history was rigorously excluded. been discovered on the interior and exterior of house. To the get a well-balanced picture for the overall colour composition of of)(one the Rietveld period(s), those remnants need to be thoroughly exterior analysedthe and floor upper for the On material. reference ‘Mulder entire the away stripping to amount would that become since hasthat phase a removing so and layer’, reason is it Moreover, house. the history theof part of able to suppose that Mulder’s interventions have de stroyed so much that there will be very little original reference material to be found. The choices that the Stichting Rietveld Schröder Huis faced back in 1980 will continue to recur: uation, reconstruction of consolidation one (or more) phase(s) be reconstruction currenttheor time,and of tween1924 of the existing informa new on based 1920s late the in situation sitthe tion. NEW RESEARCH A study of the house’s museum interior found that there was no clear-cut interior design also plan. Mulder played a inrole major the andlayout fur Bertus Schröder did not want to be visible in the house after was it death. Yet her she lived in the house for sixty( years for house the in lived she photographin Rietveld and at that time they had a joint practice, ------distin This opened 45

- Nara Document Authenticity on Nara and Stichting From that perspective the current, renewed 46 Fortunately, Fortunately, original plaster and finish coats have As far as Bertus Mulder was concerned, re-creating the door to multifaceted and often personal interpre personal often and multifaceted to door the 17. In 2018 TNO 17. graphsampleshowsa from thebalcony wall the easton elevation(photo author) Restauratie Atelier Limburg Limburg Atelier Restauratie tooksamples from specific areasthe of exterior and the interiortheof Rietveld SchröderHouse. photoThe tance Rietveld placed on the materiality, of which perception the wasand expression spatial the for crucial the andmaterials the hand, other the architecture.On colours were subject to ageing and in turnwhich the intensity for repercussions andhad wear and tear, the light reflection. The area around House changed too the over the course Schröder of the years, and with it the light penetration. So there is much to be said in favour of restoring the enough difficult interior was That Rietveld. of and spirit the in exteriorskin in the absence of documentation or formulas. But it will be even more problematical in the future when there is no longer any architect Rietveld.with worked or craftsman who tance. tations of heritage. however Yet important and inter esting the theoretical discussion about authenticity may be from a scholarly point of view, it doesally provide any not solid principles for actupractice. That re mains an accumulation casuistry of lacking any clear direction. mainpurposespatialthe wasof image impeccable an the restoration. The material was of secondary impor ognition of the enormous treatment culturaland interpretationassociated the and diversity world in the of heritage, the guished various kinds of authenticity. with its physical qualities as far as possible show the various and chronological to layers. in Inrec 1994, material can indeed be construed as But ‘authentic’. all in all viewMulder’s is at variance with the impor

BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 28 BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 29 ------

Rietveld Schröder Schröder Rietveld ,Utrecht/( ,Utrecht) Netherlands, Utrecht/ Colour, Form and Space. Rietveld Space. and Form Colour, The findings The of researchthe project havebeen publishedin book form and invarious van reports.Thoor SeeM.T. (ed.), Schröderhuis House https://whc.unesco.org/ 26-31: Zeist1999, uploads/nominations/965.pdf. 3

Reco. HetRietveld ture restoration they will undoubtedly follow current custom and commission research into the construc find takethe and house thehistory of colour and tion technicalstructuraland recent the of surveyings into account, before an architect is on board.brought But they would do greater justice to the ‘world heritage’ designationif, rialinstead history they the alsoof house, were to re-evaluate of merely architec an from House Schröder Rietveld current the cataloguing the ture- and art-historical perspective. short is no There mate house the historiography, theresearch themes: of age and De Stijl, the Schröder as thedesigner, occupational history role of the and significanceandthe themuse designinteriorfor concepts house, of Truus house.um ------, 2, (May 46-51. See 2011) , Utrecht 2009, 68-93; B. Utrecht, 2009,68-93; I. van Zijl and B. Mulder, van andI. Mulder, B.Zijl Schröderhuis reconstrueren ‘Het Mulder, van gebouwd in:StrouxS. erfgoed’, al.et (eds.), mo.mo.Hoeecht is namaak, hoe dierbaar ishet origineel? alsocontribution Mulder’s B. R.to:de Jong, I. van Zijl and B. Mulder, Rietveld It is remarkable that the

50 Delft) to carry out the 49 TU

s e We We cannot, of course, judge the restorations of the Rietveld & Schräder. Mulder’s restorations were clearly were restorations Mulder’s Schräder. & Rietveld influenced by Truus Schröder.But Schröder’s role in the design and furnishing of the house, as also her oeuvre,part fullybetohas Rietveld’s yet of therestin researched. heritage authorities and the client placed all responsi all placed client the and authorities heritage Allworks byGerrit RietveldTh. Stichting© RietveldAuteursrechten Pictoright G.Th. c/o Amsterdam 2019 bility with the architect and even relinquished control control relinquished even andarchitect the with bility fu a of event the In documentation. andresearch over fere, heor fere, to Muldersays; diddo it differently’, every initiative’. own his ‘on thing Rietveld Schröder House in the 1970s and 1980s entire 1980s and 1970s the in House Schröder Rietveld ly according to current standards or Espeprinciples. cially with respect to the exterior, Mulder had to fulfil a pioneering role. ‘It didn’t occur to anyone to inter

18. Interior photograph 18. theof floor of upperthe Rietveld objects the 1970s; Schröder House are indicativein the of the way Truus Schröder lived in the house at that time (Bertus Mulder archive) B. Mulder, ‘Het huis als monument’, in: huisals ‘Het monument’, Mulder, B. The grant The was extended tothe Centraal MuseumUtrecht, the custodian theof RietveldSchröder whichHouse,in turn commissionedDelftUniversity of Technology( research. 2 1 NOT

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report, - TNO 019, ‘De 019, Delft report, BM TU , Delft 2017. See Delft, 2017. , -rapport R10902. 2017 6138, Monument number Monument 6138, DS archive, minutes boardof meeting, ), E RC Delft 2017. Utrecht, veld-Schröderhuis’, A. Friedrichs,Delft 2018; Junge C. and historischeAfdeling, restoration advice, 22 April 1985. Nijland,T. TNO Rietveld pleister onderzoek Petrografisch SchröderhuisteUtrecht van Hees,also LubelliB. and R.P.J. Onderzoeknaar het pleisterwerk van het Huis Schröder Rietveld Nijland,T. ‘Petrographic investigation theof plasters rendersfrom& the Riet versationMarch 2016. 25 with Mulder, B. AprilMarch and25 2016. 21 Mulder, B. van inThoorconversation with M.T. 2016; AprilJune and21 27 Mulder, B. Bertusarchive, Mulder restauratievan interieurhet van het SRSH December18 1981. Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed ( Denslagen, Kunst W.F. memo 18329, van inThoorconversation with M.T. 2016. June 27 Mulder, B. small The kitchen Rietveld hadcreated inthe former bedroom madeway in turnbedroom.a for theOn ground floor kitchena was fitted accordanceout in withthe original kitchen.upstairs The bathroomwas retained ascreated by Rietveld in 1936. Informationfrom convertelephone a van sationandThoor between M.T. plasterwork The was painted inwhite, and two blue black,shadesyellow, of grey;the woodwork and radiators in white, black, red, yellow, yellow ish-green, blue and grey. van inThoorconversation with M.T. September 2017. 11 Mulder, B. Antwerp, 16 November 1963; M.T. van M.T. Antwerp,November1963; 16 ‘Factors theThoor, Rietveld’sof Visible. IdeasabouttheRenewal Architecture’,of in:Dettingmeijer, andThoor Van Van BertusZijl 154-173. 2010 (noteMulder 6), archive,notesfive conversations, on and note22 4, October 30 1973 note 1, notes record,The for November1973. example,Rietveldhow aboutdeter went miningthe greyshadesof the for Slegers house in See Velp. also De Jong, Van Zijl 30. 2), (note 1999 and Mulder newcoata was Then painted theover basecoat; that mightbethe original basemightequallycoat but newlybea applied base coat. van M.T. Thoor in con Bertusarchive, Mulder notesfive con on De Jong, Van Zijl and Mulder (note 1999 15). (note 2018 Mulder 31; 2), says Mulder that inretrospect gladis he thatthrew he all the plaster and colour samplesaway asthere can debatebe no van aboutthemThoor in the future. M.T. in June conversation 27 with Mulder, B. 2016. van inThoorconversation with M.T. Rietveldundated: Schröder Huis’, Mulder 2009 88-90. (note 2), vanH. Kantde inZeist, summer 2017. versations,October-29November 30 1973.

31 37 32 27 39 41 35 29 33 36 38 30 34 28 40

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Archive, De Vrije 006, werk 006, werk SRSH BM BM , Rietveld, Schröder Studiedag Mens, Kleur, Kleur, Mens, Studiedag HetRietveld Schröder ), G.T. Rietveld, ‘Kleur in G.T. ), RSA , curated, Verenig bythe v.b.k.a., 9 (1932) 7; CMU 9 (1932) Archive, various correspondence. 141, bertus 141, architect,mulder Delft report 2018. on the on restorations behalf on theof foundation. Mulder 2009 (note 2); M.T. van inThoor M.T. 2); 2009 Mulder (note conversationAugust 31 with Mulder, B. 15). (note 2018 Mulder 2017; Rietveld, ‘Nieuwezakelijkheid G.T. inde Nederlandschearchitectuur’, Bladen tation pertaining to the Rietveld period. inSassenheim contains documen no BM ‘restauratierietveld schröder huis’, detaileda For descrip October6 1975. 17-20. 3), (note tion2019 Thoorsee Van Unfortunately,the archive Sikkensof TU plaatsvoorarchitektuur bertus mulder, ‘Rapportgangde over van zaken met betrekkingreparatietotde van het stucwerkvan Rietveldhet Schröder with April appendices, 1980; Huis’, 10 plaatsvoorarchitektuur bertus mulder, ‘Rapportgangde over van zaken met betrekkingreparatietotde van het stucwerkvan Rietveldhet Schröder Inthe nomination April 1980. 10 Huis’, Heritage thedossier for UnescoWorld listwas it noted that the cautious van inThoorconversation with M.T. 2018 Mulder August 2017; 31 Mulder, B. (note 15). Bertusarchive, Mulder notesfive on conversations,October 30 1973; note 1, SRSH 20van%20Venetië%20-%20restauratie ladder.pdf. huis,Utrecht.Constructieve analyse Bertusarchive, Mulder methodhadproventobe untenable, see De Jong, Van Zijl and Mulder 1999 29. (note 2), van inThoorconversation with M.T. B. Mulder, 25 March 2016. March 2016. 25 Mulder, B. minutesOctoberboard of meeting, 15 1973. April 2016 21 March 2016, 25 Mulder, B. (note 2011 Mulder August and2017; 31 ‘Notitie betreffende Mulder, B. 46; 2), 2018. www.stichtingerm.nl/doc/Charter% See2). also 2009 Mulder (note 2018 Mulder 2); 2009 Mulder (note (note15). Pasterkamp,S. Bertusarchive, Mulder 2018 Mulder August 2017; 31 Mulder, B. (note 15). The ‘destroyed The wasmonument’ student a parishbuilding the on Nieuwegracht. van inThoorconversation with M.T. van inThoorconversation with M.T. restauratiede reconstructie en van het RietveldSchröderhuis naar aanleiding vanGettyhet onderzoek Marie-door UtrechtApril Thérèse3 van Thoor’, Bertustook theoverMulder commission the of Utrecht-based fromJan Veroude ArchitectengroepvoorArchitektuur 5, Stedebouw.en Ruimte architectuur’,in: Archief ( ingvan Belgische Kleurenadviseurs,

14 16 17 21 18 15 19 22 25 13 23 26 20 24

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), Bertus ), Vrij Delft. CMU Delft, TNO TU TU De beginjaren van van beginjaren De De vervolgjaren De , Amsterdam/ , Delft 2018, withDelft , 2018, 068, notesfive of 068, , Utrecht 1982, 263-284, 263-284, Utrecht, 1982, BM Conclusionsrecom and ). , 19 April 1958. Seealso: April 1958. 19 , SRAL , Rotterdam, 212-225. 2010, 6 (1924-1925) 10/11, 444. 10/11, The 6 (1924-1925) ) Archive,) minutes boardof meet , Copythe, of memorandum of Delft https://books.bk.tudelft. 2019: SRSH ing, 21 December 1983. Truus’s daughter December 1983. 21 ing, Schröder was consultanta Han(neke) and237-240. Antwerp 1996, 195-240, esp. 215-218 215-218 esp. Antwerp195-240, 1996, theBijenkorf department store; Alexan Bodonwas der an architect and Willem Sandbergwas the former director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Bertusarchive, Mulder unnumbered, October Singelenberg, 16 letter from P. Stichting Rietveld Schröder1973. Huis ( PieterSingelenberg was architectural Kunsthistorischhistorian the with Instituuttheof Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht;Isaac Hugo was director of See I. van Zijl, ‘De Stijl as Style’, in: Dettingmeijer, Van Thoor and Van Zijl Rietveld 226-249. played 6), (note 2010 animportant invariousrole exhibitions on De Stijl. In he 1964 received an honorarydoctorate from CMU Centraal Museum Utrecht ( archive, Mulder conversations,October 30 1973. note 1, Theseare records conversationsof that Bertushadwith Mulder Truus Schröder alsoin 1973; present was Gerrit-Jan de Rook. van De Stijl 1922-1932 The relationship The and contacts between Rietveldand the other DemembersStijl havebeen welldescribed byMarijke ‘’, SeeKüper, M. Küper. B. Mulder, 25 March 2016. 25 Mulder, B. van Doesburg, wasT. but unrelated to thecontentsthat of article. Bibeb, ‘Wij maken maar een achter grond.Gesprek architectmet Rietveld’ only(We make a background. Conver sationwith architect Rietveld), in:BlotkampC. al.,et De Stijl 1917-1922 ‘Gerrit Rietveld’, Küper, M. 282-284; esp. in:BlotkampC. (ed.), M.T. van inThoorconversation with M.T. StijlDe photographappeared belowthe heading fiasco ‘Het vanHolland de expositie op fiasco Holland (The of teParijs in1925’ by theat exhibition inParis in1925) Nederland Nevzgodin, I. ‘’Perspective from the East:Rietveld’s Impact the on Soviet van in: R. Dettingmeijer, Union), M.T. Thoor and I. van Zijl Rietveld’s (eds.), Universe 1970. associationtheof Stichting Rietveld SchröderUtrecht,Huis, August 28 SchröderHouse challenging the future TU nl/index.php/press/catalog/book/681; van Thoor, M.T. mendations from the researchColour, Formand Space. Rietveld Schröder House challenging the future sixappendices detailing the individual resultstechnicalof and historical colour research,carried by out andthe Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg(

9 8 7 6 4 5 10 11 12

BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 30 BULLETIN KNOB 2019 • 2 31 ------,

but . I love you, Rietveld 39 (2008) 2/3, 9-17. 2/3, 39 (2008) KNOB Bulletin APT archive, minutes boardof meeting Bulletin AmsterdamJessica van Geelmade 2018. Schröder’suseof own archives, which new offer starting points researchfor intothe designer Truus Schröder. ence of the of Naraence Document Authen on ticity, van inThoorconversation with M.T. March 2016. 25 Mulder, B. SRSH for 2 and 25 June, and 3 October 1980 TruusDubois,of house‘The N. Schröder. Van Fromtomuseum home house’: Thoor 54-89. (note 2019 3), TruusSchröder recently received atten vantion in:J. Geel, van inThoorconversation with M.T. March 2016. 25 Mulder, B.

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, tra During the recent research project, remnants of the the of remnants project, research recent the During , Naples 2012, 2012, Naples , Restauro e e Restauro , Delft, 2008; UNESCO offerno clear guidingprinciples for restorations. In stead of emphasizing a single aspect, there is to much be said for taking a holisticbroader, view of this ‘rec number areanythatthereRietveld. for Andof reation’ of research themes ography, worththe house and De Stijl, pursuing,the role and signifi occupationalthe suchTruusdesigner, ascanceSchröder of as the histori house. museum a furnishing for and conceptshistory, colour. Mulder and Mulder Mrscolour. Schröder were both very keen for therestoration torestore sible to the its house original condition as in much car was which the as interior, the of 1920s. pos When restoration the to came it the and Mulder 1985, death in Schröder’s after out ried client, Stichting Rietveld Schröderhuis, adopted the the not were concerns key The guidingprinciple. same history the of house and its occupation, Rietveld’s but Accordingly, space. about ideas his and originaldesign the upper floor was completely stripped back andits inner skin fully renovated. Remarkably, the heritage nor and withthisapproach takeissue not did agencies supervisetheywork. the did or one from dating finishing coats originaland plaster another of the Rietveldternal wall ‘periods’ surfaces and in a were ma couple for starting points of possible discovered provide These ground-floor rooms. on exarticle The restoration. subsequent a for researchterial reflectson the variousmeanings of the conceptof au thenticit y thatcasuistry,to contribute They work. restoration are in es employed to legitimize certain choic at at DelftUniversity of Technology. Since she 2011 has of editor-in-chief been 109 (2010) 4, 135- 109 (2010)

­ ­ ------KNOB Conference Bulletin TheChallenge Change.of Dealing World Herit (eds.), (eds.), withthe Legacy theof Modern Movement. ProceedingsInternationaltheof 10th DOCOMOMO www.icomos.org/charters/nara-e.pdf. Seealso: Stovel,H. ‘Origins and Influ 97-139. conservazioneprogetto e Napoli patrimonio dell’ riqualificazione centro di storico del W. Denslagen,W. ‘Authenticiteit en spiritu aliteit’, B.G. 2); Stroux 140; (note al.et 2011 Marino,‘Lamateria dell’architettura, l’architetturain:A. Alveta della materia’, Marino andB.G. (eds.), SCO

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an e v Beperktkleurhistorisch s hoor è r T é an th e- The The materialization of internal and external walls, . v M.T. The The Rietveld Schröder in House Utrecht (1924) is the ten the among home privateonly perts about the composition of the restoration plaster, restorationplaster, the of composition theperts about buthe determined the new colour scheme himself, re of usefamiliarity hisand lyingon work withRietveld’s ishing coats and the colours,fied becauseno samplesdocumentationor relating to this can no longerthese be veri matters were preserved. Mulder consulted ex tigated the composition of the existing plaster, the fin in plasterwork and paintwork, was a crucial aspect of with problems Unsurprisingly, ideas. design Rietveld’s turned out scheme colour of choice the and plaster the to be key areas of concern in the restorations. During therestoration of the exterior, Mulder largelystripped backthe external skin of the house. Although he inves riod in the early 1960s. Thanks to a Keeping it Modern it Thanks Keeping a to earlytheriod1960s. in Grant from the Getty Foundation these oral restorations have and now analysis been put technical on research, a sound archival scientificof footing means by history. seum. The world-famous house was designed collabo by close in the (1888-1964) Rietveld T. Gerritarchitect (1889- Schröder-Schräder Truus client, the with ration During 1985). the and 1970s ’80s the house was com prehensively restored by the architect Bertus Mulder who had worked with Rietveld for a (b. 1929), brief pe age sites in the Netherlands. it Inwas 1987 opened to the public as a museum house and since it 2013 has been part of the collection of Utrecht’s Centraal Mu A REFLECTION mari THE RESTORATIONS OF THE RIETVELDTHE SCHRÖDER RESTORATIONS HOUSE See for exampleSeevan for al.etHeuvel den D. De Jong, Van Zijl and Mulder (note 1999 2), 16-17. earthedarchival documents relating to this2004concernand the years 1992, detailed For information2010. this on see Van Thoor(note 2019 3). Althoughdetermined Mulder the co loursinconsultation with Sikkens, there surviving no is documentation this on fromthe period theof restorations. After therestorations, hadSikkens Mulder record the formula. The recently un N. van der Woude, vanWoude, N. der Rietveld-Schröderhuisonderzoek report,Maastricht 2018. Dr associate professor with the Chair of Heritage & Values Values & Heritage of Chair the with professor associate 43 42 44