The distinctive modernist style of Märta
Måås-Fjetterström (1873–1941), a prominent
early-twentieth-century Swedish textile artist, spanned centuries
and geography. After graduating from what is now the College
of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Måås-Fjetterström
oversaw textile production at various handcraft associations
devoted to recreating traditional Swedish folk art tapestries,
which clearly informed her artistic output. As a result of
exposure to non-Western decorative arts, her design vocabulary
also incorporated many features of Asian derivation. In 1919,
Måås-Fjetterström opened her own atelier in
Båstad—there, she freed herself from the conservative
textile workshops which disapproved of her aesthetic choices.
Måås-Fjetterström’s signature blend
of Scandinavian and Eastern sensibilities would come to define
her most dynamic works. This tapestry panel incorporates
geometric shapes inspired by floral motifs and lozenges;
it is signed in the lower left corner "AB MMF," signifying that it was woven in her studio after her death in 1941.
Märta
Måås-Fjetterström is represented in
the collections of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre in
Paris, the Victoria & Albert
Museum in London, and the National
Museum in Stockholm.
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