
Barbro Nilsson
1899–1983
Wright is the market leader for Barbro Nilsson’s rapturous and exquisite carpets with more than $2 million in sales and more than a third of the top results. Wright is proud to celebrate Nilsson’s artistry; her work is modern Scandinavian weaving at its very finest.
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Auction Results Barbro Nilsson

Barbro Nilsson
Kullager pile carpet
10'7" × 13'10" (323 × 422 cm)
estimate: $50,000–70,000
result $112,500

Barbro Nilsson
Rabatten pile carpet
9'8" × 14' (296 × 427 cm)
estimate: $50,000–70,000
result $98,750

Barbro Nilsson
The Park, Falkman tapestry weave carpet
9' × 11'9" (274 × 358 cm)
estimate: $30,000–40,000
result $57,500

Barbro Nilsson
Gyllenrutan half-pile carpet
11'2" × 21'11" (340 × 668 cm)
estimate: $40,000–50,000
result $47,500


Barbro Nilsson stands today as one of Sweden's foremost exponents of textile art—proud and pertinacious in her creativity: full of humility in transmitting ancient and riotously colored traditions.
Kontur, Swedish Design Annual, 1962
4 Things to Know About Barbro Nilsson
Upon Märta Måås-Fjetterström's death in 1941, Nilsson was chosen to head the famed MMF studio, holding the position until 1970.
Nilsson created over 200 works for churches and sacred spaces and original carpets by her can still be seen at the Gustaf Adolf Church in Helsingborg and St. Mark’s Church in Stockholm.
Nilsson served as the head of the textile department and a teacher at Sweden's most prestigous design school, Konstfackskolan throught the 1930s and 1940s.
Most of Nilsson's designs were inspired by the sea and natural landscape, as well as a deep appreciation for Swedish folk motifs.




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.


Barbro Nilsson is the master of colours. Her tones are clearer, calm but lively, never brassy or flat.
Angelica Persson, CEO of Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB

Barbro Nilsson 1899–1983
Barbro Nilsson was born in 1899 in Malmö, Sweden and was a skilled, passionate and intuitive weaver, creating works deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Sweden that were also radical in their sheer exuberance and technical feat. The daughter of Swedish architect and designer Erik Lundberg, she went studied at the Brunssons Vävskola and Tekniska School in Stockholm (now known as Konstfackskolan). From 1934 to 1947, Nilsson taught at Konstfackskolan, Stockholm (University of College of Arts, Crafts, and Design) and later served as the head of the school’s textile department.
In 1942, Nilsson became the artistic director and chief designer at the Märta Måås-Fjetterström workshop where she continued the studio's tradition of high quality craftsmanship and creative fervor. She created many flatweave, pile and tapestry-woven carpets for Märta Måås-Fjetterström. Her designs often feature nature-inspired patterns with an emphasis on color, the subtle variations in hue enlivening her works. Barbro Nilsson died in 1983 and her textile designs continue to be highly coveted by decorative art collectors.


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