The RSGA Design Museum is the first private museum in the Netherlands with a complete focus on contemporary design furniture. The Museum is located in the former sawmill of the RSGA Design factory in Culemborg. In the adjacent factory, RSGA Design produces furniture for Rietveld Originals, Spectrum, Gelderland and lighting from Atelier Artiforte.
COLLECTION
The permanent collection consists mainly of the collection of RSGA founder Titus Darley. The core of his ‘Collection Titus Darley’ consists of furniture from the rich history of the furniture companies Spectrum, Gelderland, Rietveld Originals and lighting company Atelier Artiforte. The collection includes series-produced furniture and various rare and unique pieces by Gerrit Rietveld, Rob Parry, Joost van der Grinten, Martin Visser and Jan des Bouvrie, among others. Many pieces of furniture have a special story or have been important for the development of modern furniture in general, including designs by Marcel Wanders, Piet Hein Eek, Poul Kjaerholm, Piere Paulin and Peter Ghyczy. The collection is actively managed and is in full development.
OPENING
The collection was not accessible to the public until recently. In October 2023 the collection will be moved to the old sawmill of our factory in Culemborg. As soon as the structural work is finished you are welcome for a first visit. In the second half of January the first full collection presentation will be on display. If you would like to be kept informed of the progress and opening please register here.
Stay informed of the development of the collection via our Instagram account @rsgadesignmuseum. Every week we post a story in which we highlight designs from the collection.
VISIT THE MUSEUM
Until the renovation is completed, a small selection from the collection will be on display at the RSGA Brands showroom in Culemborg. The showroom is open Wednesday through Friday and Saturday (every other week). You can book an appointment here.
Address: RSGA Design, Industrieweg 15, 4104 AP Culemborg +31 (0) 345 62 01 30
DISCOVER THE COLLECTION
Amsterda | 1942
Gerrit Rietveld
During the Second World War, Rietveld was commissioned by the Amsterdam bank to furnish its staff room but was not allowed to carry it out by the German occupiers. Besides our armchair, there is only one other example in the collection of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Our armchair has an excellent provenance. It originally came from Rietveld’s contractor Coen Moolenbeek and was purchased by us in the autumn of 2021 from the collection of fabric manufacturer Michael Maharam. Based on this model, Rietveld has made a number of variants, including one for department store Metz & Co.
Garden Egg | 1967/1968
Peter Ghyczy
The Garden Egg chair was one of the very first designs of the Hungarian designer Peter Ghyczy. The design incorporates features typical of the period: a space age look, UFO-like form, bright coloured plastic laquer, portability and the informal lounging quality of the low seat. Our chair is one of a set of two identical chairs that were produced in East Germany and remained in the family’s possession. The other chair was acquired in 2008 by the V&A Museum in London.
SE 69 Soap Series | 2019
Sabine Marcelis
Sabine Marcelis transformed Martin Visser’s iconic SE 69 chair without changing the essentials. Her use of resin is complementary to the design. It emphasizes the strong lines of the chair at the same time the resin gives it the look of a soft touch. The opaque look, bold colour and simple shapes are characteristic for Marcelis’ work. The blue version in our collection is #25 of a Limited Edition of 25.
Begeer stoel | 1919
Gerrit Rietveld
The Begeer chairs are one of the oldest in our collection. Rietveld designed them in 1919 for the interior of the Begeer jewelry shop in Utrecht, his first employer and later client. They clearly show the craftsmanship style of Rietvelds father but also his wish to simplify and straighten the lines in his designs. Our set of two was a wedding gift for his sister Marie Pesman-Rietveld. Acquired directly from the family in 2014.
Red Blue Chair | 1918
Gerrit Rietveld
This Red & Blue chair made by Gerard van de Groenekan in 1969 for George Sadek, Dean of the Cooper Union School of Art & Architecture in New York. Sadek kept the chair in his office until his death in 2007. The provenance includes correspondence with the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Van de Groenekan and Dutch relative Rudie Cortissos who helped Sadek in 1989 with the later added but original burn mark on the chair.
Metz Fauteuil | 1942
Gerrit Rietveld
Currently on display in the Centraal Museum Utrecht. There are only two known original editions of this chair. Designed and produced during the war, Rietveld replaced the seat by one from his famous Beugelchair in his ‘Amsterda’ chair. This chair is most likely a study for prototype for Rietveld the upholstered edition of this chair for the Metz & Co department-store. The other chair is in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Spectrum Dordrecht | 1947
Wim van Gelderen
The Dordrecht armchair is a design from 1947 by Wim van Gelderen. It is Spectrum’s first upholstered armchair. A real post-war furniture design intended for mass production. It is the prelude to the use of standard materials such as plywood in designing practical and comfortable furniture. An example of knock-down furniture. There is also a version with armrests: The Sliedrecht armchair.
Knotted Chair | 1996
Marcel Wanders
The Knotted chair originated from the Dry Tech I project of the famous design label Droog in 1996. The chair is made of a cord consisting of ultra-strong aramid and ultra-light carbon fiber. The knotted chair was given an invisible construction by soaking it in epoxy and allowing it to harden. Wanders created the shape of the backrest and seat by hanging the armchair to dry. The resulting sturdy armchair weighs only 1.4 kilos.
Deense stoel | 1946-1950
Gerrit Rietveld
The Danish chair was reputedly designed for the headquarters Tomado in Dordrecht, Worldwide there are 10 examples with a different colour palettes. This characteristically reductive design was first published in 1946. With the Danish chair Rietveld clearly followed experiments in moulded plywood developed by Charles & Ray Eames in California, 1945. Our chair was commissioned by the Dutch Sculptor Wessel Couzijn. It was acquired for our collection from the collection of the American designer Michael Boyd.