Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Since 1919, Märta Måås-Fjetterström and the company she founded have produced hundreds of hand-woven masterpieces. Wright champions her legacy with nearly 200 carpets and tapestries offered, one dedicated auction, and the achievement of top auction records for the distinguished weaver.
Free Evaluation

Märta Måås-Fjetterström Natt och Dag carpet $50,000

The connection between technique and form must never be broken.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Did You Know?

At the age of 46, Måås-Fjetterström opened her own company and weaving studio in Båstad, Sweden employing more than 20 professional weavers many of whom were female and former students from the Vittsjö weaving school.

Extraordinarily creative in life, at the time of her death she left behind nearly 700 original designs which continued into production.

Måås-Fjetterström traveled the globe exhibiting her works in the off season making friends and acquiring commissions for notable interiors, including royal palaces, churches and the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Her work is included in the collection of prestigious institutions around the world including The Louvre, Paris; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and The National Museum of Sweden, among others.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström standing amongst the weavers and the looms of the workshop in 1923.

A Legacy of Innovation & Excellence
in Textile Design

By Martin Chard, International Executive at Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Solid, simple and beautiful. In an essay from 1905, Märta Måås-Fjetterström (1873–1941) defined her ambitions for Swedish handicrafts while heading the Malmö Handicraft Association; living and working in a time of great change, with an ambivalence between the possibilities of modernity and mass production and a fear for a loss of identity and traditional knowledge, she had a vision for new designs rooted in the rich heritage of Swedish folklore but combined with contemporary and new influences. Her ideas did not find fertile ground at the Malmö Handicraft Association, an association mainly interested in reproducing old designs, and Måås-Fjetterström was subsequently let go. A great blow to Måås-Fjetterström at the time, but it would later prove to be a stroke of luck.

Sweden has a long and rich textile heritage, produced domestically by women. At the turn of the 19th century, several initiatives were made to formalize and preserve local knowledge and traditions. Lilli Zickerman (1858–1949), initiator of the National Association of Swedish Handicraft Societies, had an ambitious plan. Together with her brother, she photographed and hand-colored almost 24,000 Swedish textiles, immortalizing a great archive of rural pieces. Zickerman, striving to strengthen a national textile heritage, wanted to create an alternative to the imported Persian rugs favored in aristocratic homes. She saw potential in Märta Måås-Fjetterström, the art teacher and illustrator who had been fired from the local handicraft association, and encouraged her to continue to work with textiles. Zickerman made a weaving school and a workshop with skilled weavers available to Måås-Fjetterström who started creating designs for carpets and tapestries. Persian rugs were an obvious influence, but the motifs and colors distinctly her own.

“She is a remarkable storyteller, (...) who finds her inspiration in legends and meadows, in the Orient and the North, in ancient beliefs and fresh green leaves, in the Bible and buildings, in everything that causes the imagination to bloom…” explains Erik Wettergren

In 1919, Märta Måås-Fjetterström finally set up her own studio in Båstad, Sweden. Employing young, skilled weavers she expanded and established herself as a leading name in handwoven pieces. It was not always easy; the interwar period saw strict limitations on the access to quality materials, a “luxury tax” was applied to pieces from the studio and it was a constant struggle to combine the demands of business with the longing for more time as an artist. Nonetheless, an industrious and strong-willed woman, Måås-Fjetterström and her designs frequently traveled around Europe and the United States. She exhibited with great success in London, Paris, Brussels, Milan, New York and Chicago, amongst other places.

Måås-Fjetterström had the idea that her designs should be repeatedly executed. She likened herself with a composer and the weavers with the musicians. Just as a piece of music should be good enough to be played over and over, so should the designs of a carpet. And although there are very detailed instructions for each design, each piece varies slightly depending on the weaver, just as a piece of music varies with the musician.

Måås-Fjetterström's designs continuously changed with time and inspiration came from myriad sources. “She is a remarkable storyteller, (...) who finds her inspiration in legends and meadows, in the Orient and the North, in ancient beliefs and fresh green leaves, in the Bible and buildings, in everything that causes the imagination to bloom…” explains Erik Wettergren, curator and then later the director of Nationalmuseum. Inspired by 1930s modernistic and functionalistic architecture, Måås-Fjetterström created several designs in which line and shape come together in a refined way, using very few colors. In other works she uses a multitude of hues to capture scenes inspired by nature.

Måås-Fjetterström's studio had a large window facing the sea; yet maritime motifs are one of few things rarely found in her designs. In contrast, Barbro Nilsson (1899-1983) — who took over the artistic leadership of the studio after Märta Måås Fjetterström's death in 1941 — loved the sea. Many of her much cherished designs have names evoking their inspiration, e.g. Shells, Seaweed, and Sole. To allow for softer shapes in flatweave carpets, Nilsson invented a specialized woven technique. Today, our artisan weavers still use her unique, tapestry-inspired weave.

Barbro Nilsson's designs for the Märta Måås-Fjetterström Workshop were suitable for variations in size and color. Also a professor at Konstfack, Stockholm (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design), she found and connected young talents, notably Marianne Richter (1916–2010) and Ann-Mari Forsberg (1916–1992) to the studio, introducing completely new aesthetics radically different from earlier pieces. Parallel with the continued weaving of Måås-Fjetterström's by then classic designs, many new and prestigious works were made for public institutions and corporations. The largest piece ever made was commissioned for the United Nations building in New York, delivered in 1952. Ten weavers worked more than a full year completing the almost 2,200 square foot wall hanging, which at the time was the largest known tapestry in the world.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström Today

Märta Måås-Fjetterström is widely recognized for woven masterpieces both past and present. Today, the studio employs sixteen weavers and this year, three new weavers will be introduced to our team. The weavers are all well-educated, often with university degrees. Nonetheless, it is a long process learning the many secrets of each design. Newly employed weavers work side by side with those who have been at the company for decades, insuring that knowledge and technique is passed down from generation to generation. Every artist has her own temperament and ideas of what is important, challenging the weavers to use both intuition and knowledge in considering the intention of a design as they compose each piece from a fresh perspective.

The materials used by the studio are carefully sourced. Quality is of the utmost importance and we try to support Swedish suppliers whenever possible. The yarns are dyed in-house by our weavers according to the original recipes. At any given time, the studio basement houses around 18,000 pounds of yarn in over one thousand different hues.

Finally, unique collaborations with contemporary artists ensure that the studio continues to follow in our founder's footsteps by defying technical limitations and promoting innovation in textile art.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström Blå Plump flatweave carpet $47,500

In 2016, Wright hosted an auction dedicated to Märta Måås-Fjetterström and the production of the talented and creative women who continued the company in her name. Treasures from the Märta Måås-Fjetterström Workshop, featured more than 100 hundred carpets and the accompanying catalog presented new scholarly research.

Order Catalog

View Auction

Auction Results Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Natt och Dag carpet
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $50,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Blå Plump flatweave carpet
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $47,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Natt och Dag carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $31,250

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Parkettmattan flatweave carpet
estimate: $30,000–50,000
result: $27,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Rutig half-pile carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $27,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Tusenskönan pile carpet
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $25,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

carpet
estimate: $12,000–15,000
result: $25,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Rutig half-pile carpet
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $23,750

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Ljusa Plador flatweave carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $21,250

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Lunden pile carpet
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $21,250

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

The Oak carpet
estimate: $12,000–15,000
result: $18,750

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

carpet
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $17,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Körsbärsmattan flatweave carpet
estimate: $12,000–15,000
result: $15,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Skvattram carpet
estimate: $12,000–15,000
result: $15,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Bruna Heden flatweave carpet
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $15,000

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

carpet
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $13,750

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Örtagården pile carpet
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $12,800

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Joakim pile carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $12,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

carpet
estimate: $3,000–5,000
result: $12,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Munka Ljungby flatweave carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $12,500

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

carpet
estimate: $3,000–5,000
result: $11,875

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Grön äng flatweave carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $11,875

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

rare Bruna Heden flatweave carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $11,250

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Örtagården pile carpet
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $11,250

Märta Måås-Fjetterström 1873–1941

For nearly a century the Märta Måås-Fjetterström workshop has been producing carpets, textiles and weavings of the highest quality and craftsmanship. The company was formed in 1919 by Märta Måås-Fjetterström, an innovative and influential artist who revived declining weaving techniques and introduced the exploration of texture in her carpet designs. During her lifetime, Måås-Fjetterström created more the 700 original patterns blending folk and traditional handicrafts with Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.

When Måås-Fjetterström passed away in 1941, the renowned textile artist Barbro Nilsson became the workshop’s director. Nilsson, along with Ann-Mari Forsberg, Marianne Richter, Kaisa Melanton and other designers, continued in Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s footsteps creating innovative and colorful hand-woven masterpieces.

Additional Resources

Märta Måås-Fjetterström Official Site
The Enduring Appeal of Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s Modernist Swedish Rugs — Wall Street Journal Magazine
How to Make a Rug — The Märta Måås-Fjetterström Company on Bloomberg
Märta Måås-Fjetterström on Artnet

Wright Auction

Artists & Designers (0)

Upcoming Items (0)

(0)

Past Items (0)

Resources (1)

Designer: Märta Måås-Fjetterström

The connection between technique and form must never be broken.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Did You Know?

At the age of 46, Måås-Fjetterström opened her own company and weaving studio in Båstad, Sweden employing more than 20 professional weavers many of whom were female and former students from the Vittsjö weaving school.

Extraordinarily creative in life, at the time of her death she left behind nearly 700 original designs which continued into production.

Måås-Fjetterström traveled the globe exhibiting her works in the off season making friends and acquiring commissions for notable interiors, including royal palaces, churches and the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Her work is included in the collection of prestigious institutions around the world including The Louvre, Paris; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and The National Museum of Sweden, among others.

A Legacy of Innovation & Excellencein Textile Design

By Martin Chard, International Executive at Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Märta Måås-Fjetterström

Additional Resources

To learn more about a work by Märta Måås-Fjetterström in your collection, contact our specialists today.Free Evaluation

A Legacy of Innovation & Excellence
in Textile Design

To learn more about a work by Märta Måås-Fjetterström in your collection, contact our specialists today.
Free Evaluation