(1907 – 1988)
Swedish Architect and Furniture Designer

Mathsson was born and raised in Värnamo, in the Småland province of Sweden. He was born into a long line of master woodworkers and cabinet makers in his family. His formal schooling was not extensive, but his father’s gallery served as a training ground and in the 1920’s and into the 1930’s he had developed techniques for building bentwood chairs with hemp webbing. He was noted for a detail-oriented
focus in his practice, engaging in ergonomic studies for his furniture while melding modern forms with traditional Swedish craft traditions. His designs were championed by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., the Industrial Design Director at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and his work was included in a number of shows there throughout the middle of the 20th century. By the 1950’s and 1960’s he began working with tubular steel frames, during which the iconic Jetson Chair was introduced. Contemporary versions of Mathsson furniture are still being manufactured by Dux of Sweden. In later years, Mathsson focused more on architecture. He was self-taught, and is known for the design and construction of glass houses.

The Jetson Chairs in the STOCK collection are vintage 1960’s models.