ROME.- MAXXI pays tribute to the Dutch master, his world and his influences on the art and architecture of today. For the first time in Italy a major exhibition is presenting projects, furnishings, interiors, models and videos.

Architect, craftsman and woodworker, interior and furniture designer, teacher and skilled designer of exhibitions and exhibition spaces, Rietveld was also an anticipator of many of the developments in current architecture and the contemporary idea of democratic design in which quality is married to mass production. MAXXI Architettura is presenting the first Italian monographic exhibition on Gerrit Rietveld (Utrecht 1888–1964) and his universe, from 14 April to 10 July 2011, co-produced by MAXXI with the Central Museum of Utrecht and NAi Rotterdam, curated by Maristella Casciato, Domitilla Dardi and Ida van Zijl.

The exhibition—with over 100 works of architecture and design for a total of around 400 items including drawings, photos and models—provides a 360° overview of the Dutch master's work: from his relationships with the artists of the De Stijl group (Theo van Doesburg, Bart van der Leck, Vilmos Huszár J.J.P. Oud) and the protagonists of the Modernist avant-garde (Le Corbusier, Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright) to his influences on contemporary architecture and design (from Alessandro Mendini to Ettore Sottsass and Maarten Baas). Lastly, Rietveld's relationship with the 21st century is revealed through 14 interviews with contemporary protagonists on a video loop in the exhibition space (featuring Gae Aulenti, Andrea Branzi, Vittorio Gregotti and Enzo Mari) and in their works on show. The exhibition layout is further enriched by the Rietveld Workshop installation curated by the MAXXI Educational Department: an external space designed by the Scandinavian studio Rintala Eggerstsson Architects—in a perfect Rietveldian spirit of spare essentiality—in which visitors may experiment with the construction of a number of pieces of furniture by Rietveld.

A new service: the MAXXI Architecture Archives Centre.
The Archive Centre opened on 14 April. In the large study hall with its innovative design by Zaha Hadid, the public may directly consult the XX and XXI century architecture collections. There is also an exhibition of the latest acquisitions by MAXXI Architecture, works by Superstudio with 20 collages, lithographs and autograph drawings on show under the title SUPERSTUDIO. New acquisitions.