Bukowskis’ special Modern & Nordic Design auction ended yesterday. Held online for the first time, the auction attracted bidders from around the world and the bidding was extremely hectic at times. The trend towards high prices for carpets and furniture continues to hold its own, and at the auction ceramics and glass showed clear signs of strength, with high prices and the top pieces attracting a great deal of attention.

Axel Einar Hjorth’s Sandhamn sofa and the Kardborren carpet by Märta Måås-Fjetterström met their high expectations, selling for SEK 198,450 and SEK 192,300 respectively (all prices include commission and VAT).

The most expensive item in the auction, however, was a beautiful dish with a painted peacock design by Birger Kaipanen made for Arabia, which sold for SEK 410,400 – a record price for the artist’s ceramics. Ceramics continued to surprise, given the price made by a relief by Rut Bryk, also from Arabia.

Camilla Behrer, what does this auction tell us about the temperature of the modern glass and ceramics market?
- Many sought-after names were represented at the auction, but I’d particularly like to highlight the major impression made by Finnish applied art, including Tapio Wirkkala, Rut Bryk and Birger Kaipiainen.

Rut Bryk’s stoneware relief “Venetian palace”, it too from Arabia, sold for SEK 186,200. Rut Bryk was a Finnish graphic designer and ceramic artist who was taken on by Arabia and remained faithful to the firm for 50 years. The newly awakened interest in Bryk might have been down to the exhibition recently held in Finland. Bukowskis also holds the previous record sale for the ceramic artist.

I’d also like to mention Vicke Lindstrand’s glass vase with dancing figures from 1937, which is a rarity for connoisseurs. It’s great to see Swedish glass reaching such high prices today.

The Hedberg apple had a generous but handy size and an amazing glaze so I’m not at all surprised that the final price was SEK 246,200. Hedberg has long had a wide appeal and the finest and rarest pieces often attract high bids, Camilla Behrer concludes.

Eva Seeman, how would you sum up the auction in terms of modern furniture?
- It went brilliantly! Several pieces of furniture exceeded expectations, such as Mats Theselius’ 90s chairs and the Poul Kjaerholm sofa. I’m seeing new trends in what attracts the most interest. One is the way interest in elegant, neat pieces of furniture from the post-war period has soared in recent years.

- Another welcome surprise is the Samsö chair by Ib Kofod Larsen which really pushed up the bidding. Just a few years ago, they cost SEK 3,000 each and now the final bid was SEK 35,000.

With the help of the Axel Hirsch Foundation, Nationalmuseum bought a table originally created for Stockholm’s Grand Hotel by Carl Malmsten.

What is it about that table that makes it a museum piece?
- The table is in pristine original condition from the important Grand Hotel redesign of 1925. It is a beautiful example of the “Swedish grace” style with slender, black legs with gorgeous lion feet and a beautiful tin table top engraved with ornamental plants,” Eva Seeman explains.

Anette Granlund, the bidding on some of the carpets was incredibly intense. Who is buying them and why are modern carpets from Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s studio so amazingly popular?

- This time the bidding was about 50-50 Swedes and international customers. Bidders are private individuals, dealers and interior designers. But they are all interested in the same thing, Märta Måås.

The Swedish carpets are so unique. It’s the light, elegant colour scheme and the precision of the design. These carpets have such as strong personality that they suit a huge range of settings, which might explain the demand.

One perfect example of this is the most expensive carpet in the auction, Kardborren, which is such an uncommon carpet that it will always be a conversation piece. It also has a very refined colour scheme and a kind of optical phenomenon in which the stylised pink and yellow teasels almost seem to move, they are almost three-dimensional when you view them from above.

Selected highlights