Swedish Inspired

Frida Hansen (1855-1931) was a Norwegian textile artist and the outstanding Norwegian exponent of Art Nouveau weaving. Born Frederikke Bolette Petersen in Stavanger, she studied painting under Kitty Kielland and Johan Bennetter, and turned to textiles only after her family lost its fortune in the 1880s, learning to weave with Kjerstina Hauglum in Lærdal in 1889.

Marin Hemmingsson was a weaver at AB Märta Måås-Fjetterström, working in the middle decades of the twentieth century.
The distinction matters for reading a mark: Hemmingsson wove pieces designed by others rather than designing them, so on a carpet bearing AB MMF together with MH the initials identify the hand at the loom, not the author of the design. Work woven there includes Barbro Nilsson's tapestry Blåsväder of 1967 and the wall hanging Röda Trolleriet of about 1964, and a pile carpet, Zorbus, that went to the Swedish diplomatic mission in Washington in 1966.

Lars Gynning (b. Sweden, 1920-2003)

Lars Gynning is the Swedish artist who meant most as creator of patterns for woven wallpaper (tapestries) in France during the 20th century. After studies in both Sweden and France, cooperation with the famous company Pinton Frères in Aubusson began in the 1940s. About 250 tissues are made according to Gynning's publishers. One of France's largest textile stars Jean Lurçat is one of the artists who was involved with and early influenced Gynning, who has since completely created his own style.

Dora Jung (1906-1980) was a Finnish textile artist who worked almost entirely in linen, and the designer who did most to bring damask weaving into modern art. She trained at the Finnish Friends of Handicraft and at the Helsinki School of Arts and Crafts, and on graduating in 1932 opened her own workshop, Dora Jung Textil.

Ann-Mari Forsberg (1916-1992), who also worked under her maiden name Lindblom, was a Swedish textile artist and one of the central figures of the Märta Måås-Fjetterström studio. She studied under Barbro Nilsson and worked at Handarbetets Vänner before joining MMF in the early 1940s, arriving alongside Marianne Richter.

(September 30th, 1881-October 17th, 1973)

Maja Sjöström (1868-1961) was a Swedish textile artist whose working life ran from the 1890s to the 1930s. Born in rural Skåne, she was admitted to the new pattern-drafting course at the Technical School in Stockholm in 1889, and from 1893 spent twenty-four years at Handarbetets Vänner, where she became the studio's leading artist and helped make it the foremost textile workshop in the Nordic countries.