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Roberto Matta Furniture

Chilean, 1911-2002

“The function of art,” the Surrealist Roberto Matta once stated, “is to unveil the enormous economic, cultural and emotional forces that materially interact in our lives and that constitute the real space in which we live.” In his paintings, Matta sought to expose those forces through the Surrealist practice of automatism, creating work in a free-associative state intended to conjure the unconscious.

After studying architecture in his native Chile, Matta, then 22, chose to pursue the field in Paris, where he mingled with stars of the avant-garde like Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dalí and Walter Gropius. In the late 1930s, he abandoned Paris, together with his job at Le Corbusier’s studio and (for a time) his career, for modern art’s new epicenter, New York City. There, he became a colleague of art legends like Marcel Duchamp and Arshile Gorky.

Although celebrated primarily for his work as a painter, Matta was an equally talented furniture designer. His furniture pieces, like his artworks, are the stuff of dreams. The back of his totem chair, for example, is composed of smiling, cartoonish creatures stacked on top of each other. In his MAgriTTA armchair, the top half of a plush green apple sticks out of large black bowler in homage to its namesake, the Belgian Surrealist René Magritte.

But perhaps the piece that most truly embodies his artistic philosophy is his 1966 Mallite modular system: a collection of spongy, undulating sofas and lounges that can be fitted together to form a puzzle-like room divider. The work, an original edition of which is in MoMA’s permanent collection, has in recent decades been a hard-to-find collectors’ item — until 2019, when Italian design brand Paradisoterrestre issued a reedition, available through Duplex.

Browse Roberto Matta's paintings and furniture designs on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Roberto Matta
Roberto Matta, Aquatint, 1970s "Come detta dentro vo significado" No35
By Roberto Matta
Located in Stockholm, SE
Robero Matta ( Chille 1911-2002), aquatint VI/VI no 35 from "Come detta dentro vo significado". Signed Matta. Framed. in good condition. Paper with smaller signs of age and wear.
Category

1960s Chilean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

Amatta armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition 2024
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Amatta is a resin armchair with sinuous, fluid, soft and rounded lines, created in 1974 by Roberto Matta. He cuddled up in the Amatta and shaped it through his own body. The armcha...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Resin

Modular Seating System "Malitte" by Roberto Matta for Gavina, Italy, 1960s
By Roberto Matta
Located in Brussels, BE
Modular seating system " Malitte" by Roberto Matta for Gavina, Italy, 1960s - new upholstery.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Upholstery

Malitte Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Ed. KVADRAT DIVINA 3
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Materials: polyurethane foam; slightly elastic fabric Kvadrat Divina 3 Upholstery available in different fabrics and colours. Pleas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Malitte Outdoor Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Ed. QUERCIA
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Brand-new outdoor version, developed thanks to Frassinago technical consultancy. Malitte outdoor is made of polyurethane for outdoo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Malitte Outdoor Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Ed. GINOSTRA
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Brand-new outdoor version, developed thanks to Frassinago technical consultancy. Malitte outdoor is made of polyurethane for outdoo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Roberto Matta, Litography
By Roberto Matta
Located in Hammarö, SE
Number 25/ 125. Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren, born November 11, 1911, was a Chilean architect, visual artist.
Category

20th Century Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Glass, Paper

Roberto Matta, Litography
By Roberto Matta
Located in Hammarö, SE
Number 52/125. Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren, born November 11, 1911 was a Chilean architect, visual artist,
Category

20th Century Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Glass, Paper

Malitte Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition PUGI RG MIRAGE
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Materials: polyurethane foam; slightly elastic fabric Pugi RG. Upholstery available in different fabrics and colours. Please note t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Sacco Alato Aluminium Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Margarita Aluminium Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Alidor resin armchair by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Between art and design, the Alidor armchair by Surrealist artist Roberto Matta has a resin structure and a biomorphic cushion. Limited edition 25/1000 with engraved number and artis...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Resin

Margarita Bronze Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 19...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Sacco Alato Bronze Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 19...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Roberto Matta for Gavina “Malitte” Modular Seating System
By Gavina, Roberto Matta
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Included in the permanent collection of MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City: "Malitte is a seating system, an ever-changing composition of f...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Textile, Foam

"Malitte" System by Roberto Sebastian Matta for Gavina, circa 1966
By Roberto Matta
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Malitte System, designed by Roberto Sebastian Matta for Gavina, is an icon of Italian design, proven by it's inclusion in the permanent col...
Category

1960s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric

Roberto Matta for Gavina, Modular Sofa, 1966
By Roberto Matta
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Roberto Matta, signed. Gavina, edited by. Modular sofa, “Malitte” model, composed of five seats in thermoformed foam, cut out and covered with black and white woolen cloth. G...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chilean Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric

1970s MAgriTTA Chair Roberto Matta for Simon Gavina Editions, Italy, 1970
By Simon Gavina Editions, Roberto Matta
Located in Camden, ME
"Roberto Matta designed this chair as a tribute to his friend and fellow surrealist painter René Magritte. The apple and black bowler hat are derived from Magritte's 1946 self-portra...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Foam, Polyester

Magritta Black Hat Green Apple Armchair Roberto Matta Fabric Comfy Chair
By Simon Gavina Editions, Roberto Matta
Located in Sacile, PN
Magritta armchair by Roberto Sebastian Matta, Ultramobile collection. It is an iconic piece designed in honour of René Magritte. The black hat and green apple, which characterize Mag...
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery, Polystyrene

Roberto Matta for Arredoluce Adjustable Ceiling Fixture in Brass, Italy, 1950
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Classic Arredoluce ceiling fixture in brass and lacquered aluminum, it can be adjusted up or down with a tensioning mechanism. 2 are available, price is for 1.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Brass

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Chair by Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta, 1970
Chair by Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta, 1970
H 44.49 in W 14.57 in D 20.48 in
Litrography / Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in COYOACAN, DF
He was born in the Chilean capital on November 11, 1911 (11.11.11), a figure that he would frequently use in his artistic career. He was one of the four children of Roberto Matta Tagle and Mercedes Echaurren Herboso, people with great social roots and economic resources in the Chile of his time. He studied at the College of the Sacred Hearts of Santiago; Back then, he was a neighbor of Nemesio Antúnez. In those years he also began to stand out with his notes on drawing and calligraphy. Like his brothers, Mario and Sergio, who were a furniture designer and fashion designer, respectively, he received a profound aesthetic influence from his maternal grandfather, Víctor Echaurren, who - in an amateur way - was a designer of stage plays and operas. His family was of Basque-French origin. In the early 1930s, he participated in some demonstrations against the dictator Carlos Ibáñez del Campo; likewise, he performed military service in the "Coraceros Regiment" of Viña del Mar, repressing the demonstrations in which he had previously participated, which caused him great anti-military sentiment. The first goal of the Chilean people, the work of Matta in conjunction with the Ramona Parra Brigade. Roberto Matta, Three Figures, 1958, M. T. Abraham Center for Visual Arts. She completed her university studies at the School of Architecture of the Catholic University of Chile, her title thesis being a project called The League of Religions, which consisted of sketches of buildings in the shape of a woman in various positions.6 At the same time, she attended workshops free at the School of Fine Arts, being a student of the painter Hernán Gazmuri, who had been arriving from France. In addition, he worked as an illustrator in the satirical magazine Topaze. He graduated as an architect in 1935. Subsequently, he traveled to Europe on a merchant ship. While in Portugal, he met Gabriela Mistral, who was consul in that country. The poet helped Matta, who lived in her house for three months. According to the painter, during that time he fell in love with Mistral, even asking for her hand, but the poet did not accept. During his stay in Paris he worked in the studio of the architect Le Corbusier, whom he met thanks to Roberto Dávila. According to the historian Hernán Marchant, the relationship between Matta and Le Corbusier was characterized by “much admiration, but with some rivalry.” On the old continent, he also met the artists André Breton, Salvador Dalí, Arshile Gorky and René Magritte. It was Breton who encouraged the Chilean artist, valued his work and introduced him to the circle of the main members of the Parisian surrealist movement. Matta produced illustrations and articles for the surrealist newspaper Minotaure. During this period he became friends with prominent European contemporary artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. A decisive moment for Matta's artistic career occurred in 1938, when he went from drawing to oil painting, for which he is very famous. This period coincided with his travel and residence, until 1948, in the United States. His first paintings, among which Night Invasion stood out, gave an indication of the artistic route taken by the painter. The use of diffuse light patterns and thick lines on top of a particular background became one of its hallmarks. During the 1940s and 1950s, his painting reflected the disturbing state of international politics, using images of electric machines and tormented people. By adding clay to his works, from the 1960s onward, he added dimension to his distortion. Matta's work added new dimensions to contemporary painting, despite his break - for unknown reasons - with the Surrealist movement in 1947. Despite being reinstated in 1959, his fame earned is exclusively personal. He experienced different forms of artistic expression, including video productions such as Système 88, photography, and other means of expression. In 1985 he received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, in 1990 he received the National Art Prize; in 1992, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts and in 1995 he obtained the Praemium Imperiale in the category of Painting. He lived regularly since the 1960s in the Italian town of Tarquinia, located north of Rome, making sporadic trips to his country. During the 1960s he ventured into furniture design after meeting the Italian designer Dino Gavina, creating in 1966 the "Malitte Lounge...
Category

20th Century Chilean Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

Litrography / Roberto Matta
Litrography / Roberto Matta
H 19.3 in W 27.96 in D 1.97 in
Roberto Matta, Magritta Lounge Chair, Gavina, 1970s
By Gavina, Roberto Matta
Located in Uppsala, SE
Roberto Matta designed this chair 1970 as a tribute to his friend and fellow surrealist painter René Magritte. The apple and black bowler hat are two of Magritte’s trademarks, derive...
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Fiberglass, Polystyrene

Rare Malitte Sofa by Roberto Matta for Knoll
By Roberto Matta
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Rare Malitte sofa by Roberto Matta for Knoll circa late 1960s. This example is all original in its navy and vibrant green. This iconic seating arrangement...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Mid-Century Modern Modular Foam Sofa Sectional Set Roberto Matta Malitte Knoll
By Knoll, Roberto Matta
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a unique, modular, foam sofa set, "Malitte" cushion system by Roberto Matta for Knoll in the 1960s. Pieces combine to become a com...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Magritta Chair by Roberto Sebastian Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Vienna, AT
Magritta chair by the artist/designer Roberto Sebastian Matta. Conceived as an homage to René Magritte. Iconic original from the 1970. Good condition...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Magritta Chair by Roberto Sebastian Matta
Magritta Chair by Roberto Sebastian Matta
H 20.47 in W 40.16 in D 34.25 in
'Malitte' Seating Arrangement by Roberto Sebastian Matta for Gavina
By Roberto Matta
Located in Milan, IT
A highly sculptural and versatile seating arrangement designed by Roberto Sebastian Matta (1911-2002) in 1966 for the Italian furniture produce...
Category

1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Rare Malitte Sofa by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Rare Malitte sofa by Roberto Matta circa late 1960′s. This late 1960′s example is all original in its stunning black and vibrant green. This iconic seatin...
Category

1960s American Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Upholstery

Rare Malitte Sofa by Roberto Matta
Rare Malitte Sofa by Roberto Matta
H 64 in W 66 in D 24 in

Roberto Matta furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Roberto Matta furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of fabric and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Roberto Matta furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 10 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 5 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Roberto Matta were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Ariberto Colombo, I.S.A. Italy, and Giulio Moscatelli. Prices for Roberto Matta furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,300 and can go as high as $27,526, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,200.
Questions About Roberto Matta Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Chilean-born Roberto Matta is a modern art painter primarily known for his work in blending surrealism with abstract expressionism. You can shop a selection of expertly vetted Fairfield Porter pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Roberto Matta is a painter who became a noted part of the Surrealist movement. Born Roberto Antonio Sebastian Matta Echaurren in 1922 in Santiago, Chile, the artist began his professional life as an architect and slowly switched to painting. His work often featured complex biomorphic forms in disturbing settings, making him an important influence in the post World War II era. Shop a selection of Roberto Matta pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.

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