Märta Måås-Fjetterström - Modern Masters London Tuesday, April 26, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Catalogue Essay

    Phillips wishes to thank Angelica Persson and Martin Chard from Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, for their assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot. Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB will celebrate the artist’s centenary with an exhibition at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm in 2019.

    Conveyed throughout her life, Märta Måås-Fjetterström was profoundly inspired by nature, but in the 1930s she produced designs where figurative elements were diminished and elegant geometric patterns began to dominate, which include the following examples Korgmattan, Blåplump, Rutig vit halvflossa and Efsingen. During this period Måås-Fjetterström engendered continuing creativity with the combination of geometric form and colour which is applied in the present lot. The Efsingen design which was first exhibited at the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm in 1944, echoes Måås-Fjetterström’s interest in the vitality of lines and the solid surfaces they enclose. The present lot is comprised of red and white stripes, which are punctuated by small white squares; the exterior boarder contiguously frames the dominating and variegated solid large squares. The large squares are composed of carefully dyed yarn with a specially spun light and dark wool, which is also used as the warp. Efsingen design is a superlative example of Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s masterful ability to create a pattern deceivingly simple and yet visually sophisticated. The present lot was the eighth Efsingen rug produced and was part of a Carl Malmsten interior for a private Swedish residence. The influence of this impressive period of geometric design by Måås-Fjetterström is clearly seen in the later works Gyllenrutan and Falurutan by Barbro Nilsson, who was the artistic director of Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB from 1942-1970.

Property from a Private Collection, Sweden

38

'Efsingen' rug

designed 1936, executed 1950
Handwoven wool on a wool warp.
367 x 266.8 cm (144 1/2 x 105 in.)
Handwoven by Berta Nylander and Gun Hjalmarsson at Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, Båstad, Sweden. Woven with manufacturer's mark AB MMF. Together with a certificate of authenticity from Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB.

Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000 

Sold for £43,750

Contact Specialist
Madalena Horta e Costa
Head of Sale
+44 20 7318 4019

Modern Masters

London Auction 27 April 2016