Art Deco Sofa And Pair Of Chairs With Classicized Marquetry

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Art Deco Sofa And Pair Of Chairs With Classicized Marquetry

About the Item

Carl Malmsten (1888-1972) was a furniture maker who became one of the first famous Swedish designers, and he was controversial even in his own day. He studied economics at the university but it was soon clear to him that this was not what he wanted to do. Instead, he decided to become a journeyman carpenter and took up an apprenticeship (1910-1911). He liked the work but disliked the furniture he had to make: in his view a piece of furniture should not only be functional but should also express a feeling. He started his own small workshop, bursting into the spotlight in 1916 when he won both first and second prize in an interior design competition. By the 1920s he had become one of Sweden’s leading furniture designers, producing furniture for Stockholm’s Town Hall and Concert Hall, the head office of the Swedish Match Company, and the wedding of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf to Louise Mountbatten. Between 1917 and 1930 his work was displayed in many exhibitions. Malmsten was convinced that the tradition of vernacular craftsmanship informed by the cultural examples of the Swedish country manor and rustic style was the foundation of good development. He believed that learning a craft would allow people to develop an aesthetic sense and feeling for quality. In 1914 he published a pamphlet entitled 'Swedish Character in Artistic Culture'; in 1924 'Beauty and Pleasantness' in the 'Home' was published. Sweden – with Carl Malmsten at the fore – was highly successful at the International Exhibition held in Paris in 1925, thanks to a delicate Classicism that was in conspicuous contrast to the overburdened international Art Deco. In 1930 Carl Malmsten and Gregor Paulsson conducted a vitriolic debate about functionalism, traditional craftsmanship and modern industrialism. The outcome was a compromise, and Malmsten stopped exhibiting for three years, although he remained a successful furniture designer, being contracted to provide designs for public offices, factories, schools and private homes and winning several medals (1926, 1946). He took part in exhibitions in Sweden and also abroad, such as the 1939 New York World’s Fair. In 1969 a retrospective exhibition of his oeuvre was held. Malmsten was also greatly involved in education. In 1927 he founded the 'Olofsskolan' in Stockholm, adding a training workshop for pupils who showed a talent for woodwork in 1930. In 1936 he became a professor. In 1957 he founded 'Capellagarden', a residential school of crafts, on Öland. He spent half his life instructing others, theoretically and practically, but his dream of founding a folk high school for arts and crafts was never realized due to financial difficulties. 1930s Sweden Ash wood with marquetry and velvet (new) silk upholstery Sofa: H. 80 cm, W. 200 cm, D. 75 cm Pair of chairs: H. 80 cm, W. 75 cm, D. 75 cm Source: Wahlberg, A. G. (1988), Carl Malmsten, Kristianstad: Signum p. 179-182

Attributed to:
Carl Malmsten (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 78.7 in (199.9 cm)Depth: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 3
Style:
Art Deco (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Ash,Silk,Upholstery,Velvet,Woodwork
Place of Origin:
Sweden
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1930s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. The silk upholstery is new.
Seller Location:
Brussels & Antwerp, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: 1402199516168