Barbro Nilsson - Design Masters New York Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Phillips

Design Masters

New York Auction 15 December 2015 5pm

  • Provenance

    Sydsvenskan, Mälmo, Sweden, 1965

  • Catalogue Essay

    From 1942-1970 Barbro Nilsson was the artistic director of Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, in Båstad. There, she designed the “Marina” rug in 1956, which was inspired by the sea, its waves, sea grass, and fishermen’s net. Barbro Nilsson spent her entire life by the ocean and many of her designs contain fragments of inspiration from her long walks along the beaches of southern Sweden. Nilsson transformed the Gobelin technique and was able to produce flat weaves with free floating patterns. Her first design for Märta Måås-Fjetterström in 1943 was inspired by the sea, titled “Snäckorna” (The Shells), an example of which is included at the National Museum of Sweden.

    After producing the first “Marina” rug in 1956, Nilsson added more colors in her usual masterful and virtuosic manner, including various greens and yellows. One of the first “Marina” rugs was created for the head office of the Orrefors glass Factory in Sweden, and a monumental example measuring 16 x 16 feet was produced for the head office of Handelsbanken (Swedish Bank) in Stockholm. The Swedish Embassy in Tokyo was also decorated with a large “Marina” rug.

    The present lot was made in the first color option from 1956, woven in 1965-1966 by Artisan Weavers Lena Mattsson and Berit Larsson for the new head office of the Swedish daily newspaper Sydsvenskan, Malmö, and has been registered by Märta Måås-Fjetterström with the MMF-number 23699.

329

Barbro Nilsson

"Marina grön" rug

designed 1956, woven 1965-1966
Wool, linen.
202 1/2 x 112 3/4 in. (514.4 x 286.4 cm)
Produced by Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, Båstad, Sweden, woven by Lena Mattsson and Berit Larsson. Woven with manufacturer’s mark AB MMF. Together with a certificate of authenticity from Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB.

Estimate
$30,000 - 50,000 

Sold for $37,500

Contact Specialist
Meaghan Roddy
Head of Sale
New York
+1 212 940 1266

Design Masters

New York Auction 15 December 2015 5pm