New old stock authentic vintage Marjatta Metsovaara Finnish desi
In this listing we are very pleased to offer a wonderful fairly large new old stock piece of fabric by the much loved Marjatta Metsovaara.
100% cotton. Printed on one side, possibly screen printing.
Marked in the left hand side margin.
An editor is not mentioned in the fabric. As we bought it in the Netherlands, our best guess is that it was fabric edited by her husbands company Van Haveren (read below).
This name of this pattern is called pukketti in Finnish, which simply means bouquet and features a beautiful stylized brightly colored bouquet of flowers set to a kind of bronze background. This pattern was also issued in some other color combinations, hinting that this was a well-loved pattern at the time and right the buyers were at the time: what is not to love about it?
About Marjatta Metsovaara
Marjatta Metsovaara (1927 - 2014) came from a resilient creative family with well travelled parents. Her Russian father created companies in both selling rugs and carpets and weaving and dying fabrics. Marjatta eagerly worked alongside her parents in the weaving and dying business, familiarising herself with the production process while at the same time trying her hand on in-house design. She pursued and completed studies at Helsinki Institute of Industrial Arts where she was studying simultaneously with other later famous Finnish designers such as Timo Sarpaneva, Maija Isola and Nanny Still. After her studies (1949), she initially returned to her father’s factory, weaving and marketing pieces to set up her own company, Metsovaara Oy which she founded in 1954, just 27 years old. In the same year, she showcased her work at the important ‘Design in Scandinavian’ Expo which travelled through the USA and Canada over three years. Metsovaara#39;s first exhibition was held in Artek in 1957.
By 1956, she had installed two weaving machines at another premises as she could not keep up with the demand for her work. Influenced by experimentation while still at college, she printed not only on conventional fabrics but created wall coverings in daring materials including metals, wool, ply and the new family of flexible plastics. She also designed and made loudspeaker fabrics and bag fabrics. Marjatta used living room sets at her company to demonstrate more immediately to customers and interested large scale buyers, how her creations would look in a real setting.
In 1965 Marjatta moved to Belgium following her marriage with Albert Van Havere, who himself was the owner and manager of a textile weaving company called NV Albert van Havere Weverij in the town Sint Niklaas. Marjatta Metsovaara would stay on as Artistic Director for this company - next to being Director of her own company in Finland - until she sold it in 1990 to German Krall Roth. At Van Havere she continued doing what she had already done so well in Finland: designing her rhythmic abstract patterns and scaled up fabulous flowers like this pukketti pattern, manufactured at the same time in Tampella, Finland and at the factory of Van Havere. Some items produced in Belgium where then imported back to Finland.
Apart from for her own Metsovaara Oy and Van Havere she designed woven and printed interior textiles for other Finnish textile companies, such as Finlayson Oy, Finn-flare, Valvilla Oy and for umbrella maker Green Green.
During the 1970s and while she was living in Belgium Marjatta Metsovaara had a number of other designers making patterns for her Finnish company including Anneli Halme, Kristiina Nyrhinen and her older daughter Katariina Metsovaara (formerly Nyström). The latter was given quite some freedom and it is said that Katariina was responsible for the design of many later Marjatta Metsovaara pattens although they were still signed Marjatta Metsovaara. Katerina would eventually set up her own company, Katariina Metsovaara design.
Metsovaara won the Pro Finlandia medal in 1970 and won two gold medals at the famous Milan Triennial in 1957 and 1960. Her rug design Simpukka and tablecloth design Primavera are just some of the pattern that have become mid century design classics.
Caused by rising debts she was eventually forced to sell her Finnish Metsovaara Oy to Sellgren Fabrics Oy in 1980.
Importance of her work
Marjatta was one of three wildly talented women who brought Finnish design to the world stage after the war, the others being Armi Ratia (1912-1979) who founded Marimekko Oy in 1952, and Vuokko Nurmesniemi former designer at Marimekko and founder of Vuokko (1964-closed 1988).
Finland was economically bowed down after the war with reparation payments to Russia. Materials to make anything, let alone decorative pieces, were hard to come by and new designs for the home came slower than in the neighboring Scandinavian countries. Whereas Marimekko and Vuokko were using fashion to sell their printed fabrics Marjatta Metsovaara focussed on fabric and rugs only making her success even more impressive. Later in her career some lesser known Finnish fashion brands such as Finn-flare did ask her to design patterns for them.
It is said that she sparked off the renowned business of Finnish industrially woven interior textiles.
Media coverage of her work was enhanced by the designers striking good looks and vibrant personality.
Still much loved and hence collected today, Marjatta Metsovaara’s mass produced prints, popularised by the magazine spreads of the 1950s to 1970s, were and are marked out above all by her instinct for colour combinations and patterns that were fresh, economical and joyful.
Measurements:
205 x 130 cm / 80.71 x 51.18 inches
Weight: 493 grams.
Condition:
Mint condition.
This is a new old stock never used piece of fabric.
It looks and feels new and there are no signs of use or age anywhere,
Comes from a smoke free home.
To find a vintage large Marjatta Metsovaara fabric in this condition is a rarity.
Please refer to the pictures to get the best impression of their condition.
More pictures are available on request, so do not hesitate to ask for them in case of doubt.
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New old stock authentic vintage Marjatta Metsovaara Finnish desi
