
Barbro Nilsson née Lundberg (1899–1983) was a Swedish
textile artist
Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.
Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials use ...
who is remembered in particular for her large tapestries, including the one she produced in collaboration with
Sven Erixson for the
Gothenburg Concert Hall in 1939. She was active as a teacher at
Konstfack
Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden.
History
Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the eth ...
and as head of
Märta Måås-Fjetterström's weaving establishment in
Båstad
Båstad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably mor ...
. Nilsson produced her own rugs and church textiles, many with motives inspired by nature.
Biography
Born on 18 July 1899 in
Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
, Barbro Lundberg was the fourth child of Carl Theodor Ansgarius Lundberg and his wife
Emma Lovisa née Bong, an artist. When her father was appointed manager of the
Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet (colloquially NK, and literally ''The Nordic Company'') is the name of two luxury department stores located in Stockholm and Gothenburg, in Sweden.
The store in Stockholm receives some twelve million visitors annually, with ...
department store in 1904, the family moved to
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
where she was trained in hand weaving at
Johanna Brunsson's school from the age of 14. From 1918 to 1920, she remained at the school as a teacher before broadening her competence in weaving at Stockholm's
Technical School
A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...
.
[
In the 1920s, Barbro Lundberg established a studio on Mäster Samuelsgatan in Stockholm, receiving a series of orders from the Salén clothing company. In 1928, she married the sculptor Rober Nilsson (1894–1980). Thanks to the large travel grant he was awarded, the family spent the next three years in ]Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
where their son, the photographer Pål Nils Nilsson
Paul is a common Latin Language, Latin masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage (Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Protestantism) and, beyond Europe, in Christian religiou ...
was born in 1929. Settling in Stockholm, the family spent their summers in Robert Nilsson's native Lerberget near Höganäs.[
In 1936, Nilsson was commissioned to produce a large tapestry as part of Sven Erixson's proposal for refurbishing the Gothenburg Concert House. It proved to be so successful with its high-quality weaving and colour scheme that she went on to produce many more to designs for painting-quality tapestries by artists including , and Endre Nemes.][
In 1942, Nilsson was engaged to manage the Märte Måås-Fjetterström weaving studio in ]Båstad
Båstad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably mor ...
. She remained there for the next 30 years. Winning acclaim as "the number one Swedish textile artist", Nilsson brought in a number of her former students from the Stockholm Technical School, including Marianne Richter, and . In 1943, she created one of her most successful rug designs ''Snäckorna'', the first of a series in which she employed the haute-lisse technique.[
Over the years, Nilsson produced decorative textiles for over 40 Swedish churches, including ]Helsingborg
Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
's Gustaf Adolf Church and Stockholm's Kungsholm Church. She produced works for the Swedish embassy in Moscow, the public library in Helsingborg and the Supreme Court of Sweden
The Supreme Court of Sweden (, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and wit ...
. Among her finest creations are her seven woven works for Sydkraft}Sydsvenska Kraft symbolizing natural forces such as the sun and gushing water. Her works can be seen in the collection of the National Museum of Sweden
Nationalmuseum is the national gallery of fine arts of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm.
The museum's operations stretch far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, including the National Portrait Gallery collect ...
and in those of museums in Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
and Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
.[
Barbro Nilsson died on 11 October 1983 in ]Höganäs Municipality
Höganäs Municipality () is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, in Skåne County in the southern part of the country. Its seat is located in the city of Höganäs.
The rural municipality Höganäs, in which the first ''municipalsamhälle'' (a ...
. She is buried in the Brunnby cemetery in Nyhamnsläge.[
]
Awards
In 1948, Nilsson was awarded the prestigious Litteris et Artibus
Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature.
The ob ...
medal for her contributions to culture.[
]
References
External links
Barbro Nilsson's page
at the National Museum of Sweden with illustrations of her work
Barbro Nilsson on artnet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilsson, Barbro
1899 births
1983 deaths
Swedish textile artists
Swedish textile designers
20th-century Swedish women artists
Artists from Malmö
Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal
Litteris et Artibus recipients