The roots of 20th Century Swedish textile art can be found in the National Romantic Movement and the Handicrafts Movement of the previous century. Towards the end of the nineteenth-century textile folk art in Sweden was on its way to disappearing, particularly as industrialism began to pick up speed. In the face of this threat, a number of local handicrafts associations were formed all over the country and in 1912 they amalgamated to form the National Federation of Swedish Handcraft Associations, an organisation that continues to operate today as the central organisation for Swedish textile art.
The most sigificant textile artist of the Swedish handicrafts movement was undoubtedly Marta Maas-Fjetterström. Though she trained as a painter, Marta found herself captivated by traditional Swedish folk weaving and debuted her first designs as early as the turn of the 20th century, her most important contributions however, and those which resonate still today, were felt in the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1919 Marta Maas-Fjetterström founded a workshop in Southern Sweden that would become a crucial centre for the development of Swedish textile art. The workshop focussed on the creation of a modern form of rug art inspired by Swedish peasant textiles and persian rug art, but also by Swedish nature and the light Nordic summer. The merging of modernism and nature saw floral motifs take on a geometric appearance and paired with pastel tones and primary colours from the natural dyes used to colour fine quality wool, the restult of the Swedish Modern Kilim meant that it identified with folk art principals that also suited the modernist aesthetic and functional mid-century Swedish furniture designed by contemporaries such as Carl Malmsten, another well-known advocate of traditional Swedish craftsmanship.
Though Marta Maas Fjetterström died in 1941, a rescue campaign succeeded in its efforts preserve the MMF workshop and to secure its activities for the future. Barbro Nilsson, a well known textile artist in her own right, took over as the artistic leader of the workshop, which would become MMF AB and would continue to produce Swedish rugs and woven goods – even to this day. Nilsson, who specialised in large monumental tapestries made in cooperation with other artists, enlisted the help two students in running the MMF workshop: Marianne Richter and Ann-Mari Forsberg. Together these women producing new patterns, whilst reproducing those of Marta Maas-Fjetterström. Nilsson’s technical skills allowed her to develop upon older methods of weaving, much the same as Marta-Maas had done, in order to produce rugs that worked in harmony with their modern surroundings; and which continue to do so in today’s interiors.
Marianne Richter, who in 1952 was commissioned to produce a 200 sq meters drapery for the social and economic councils room in the UN building of NY, continued working at the MMF AB workshop well into the 1970s. Her specialism was creating patterns with deep roots with folk art that were rich in imagination (an example of an MR carpet can be seen and here), in addition Richter also carried out significant work in the development of machine woven rugs.
Alongside such workshops as MMF AB and Handarbetets Vanner (Centre of free monumental textile Art), individual workshops also began producing textiles in the same vein. The isolation of the second world war resulted a shortage of materials and manpower, thus hindering the spread of mass produced goods and placing emphasis on handwoven textiles. As a result, individual handcrafts flourished all the more and resulted in a new generation of artists engaging with the industry, ensuring its continued popularity.
