Roberto Matta Art
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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Artist: Roberto Matta
Foot Musik
By Roberto Matta
Located in Malmo, SE
Frame size 76x78 cm.
Free shipment worldwide.
Acquired directly from the artist.
Archive number (P90/41)
“The heart is an eye,” writes Nobel laureate Octavio Paz in an essay on Matta’s paintings. Matta creates a world coloured both by a sunny faith in the future and by visions of impending doom.
Roberto Sebastian Echaurren Antonio Matta, who died aged 91 on 23 November 2002, was born in Santiago, Chile, on 11 November 1911 into a family with Spanish, French and Basque roots, and raised in an atmosphere of religiosity. By the age of 21 he had graduated and begun work as an architect, but his leisure time he devoted to sketching and painting. In 1933 he travelled to Europe for the first time, visiting Greece, Yugoslavia, Italy and other countries, and subsequently taking the initiative to collaborate with the architect, Le Corbusier. As time passed, however, Matta’s enthusiasm for a career in architecture waned, and he began to devote himself full-time to art, making early acquaintances with surrealists such as Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, André Breton and others.
Between 1939 and 1948 Matta, like many of his artistic contemporaries, lived in self-imposed exile in the USA, but, after almost 10 years’ absence from Europe, he returned to make first Rome and then, a few years later, Paris his home. Throughout most of the rest of his life Matta commuted between his studio in Paris and his creative refuge in the monastery outside Rome. And it is here, in Italy, that he produced his greatest paintings.
Matta’s first retrospective in Sweden was organised in 1956 when his works were exhibited in what was then Galerie Colibri – run by, among others, the artist C O Hultén...
Category
1990s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Gouache, Mixed Media
Untitled 212 (From the New School)
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Original etching and aquatint in colors on paper
- Published by Stanley William Hayter
- Suite: The New School
Edition of 70
Signed
Category
20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Other Medium
Centre Noeuds Portfolio, Suite of 10 Aquatint Etchings
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
These works express the influence of the collective subconscious icons, South American & popular culture, and psycho-sexuality. Their undeniable beauty keeps the eye engaged in visua...
Category
1970s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
F M R Oems - Portfolio
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Portfolio of 10 original etchings with aquatint in colors wove paper; Each etching is signed and numbered
Category
20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Other Medium
L'Explosion Qui Éclaire Mon Abime
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Des Secrets Pour Changer La Vie
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Damné Par L'Arc En Ciel
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Plusieurs Autres Vies
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Attire Le Gai Venin
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Je Fixe Des Vertiges
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Feu, Feu Sur Moi
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
L'âme Est Une Inconnue
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
Nous Ne Sommes Pas Au Monde
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
From the portfolio "Una temporada en infierno" (A season in hell) - Portfolio of 10 works illustrating the poem by Arthur Rimbaud - On Arches paper, numbered and signed by Matta - Pr...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching
F M R Oems - Portfolio
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Portfolio of 10 original etchings with aquatint in colors wove paper; Each etching is signed and numbered
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Other Medium
Octravi
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Inventory 8164
Signed
Edition size: 200
Comes with gallery invoice and certificate
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Lithograph
Espace de l'Espece - Interrogation Humaine
By Roberto Matta
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Inventory 8163
Signed
Edition size: 200
Comes with gallery invoice and certificate
Category
20th Century Contemporary Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Lithograph
Figure I
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, an artist's proof aside from the numbered edition of 95.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Editions L'Oeuvre Gravée, Bern...
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Personnages III
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 95.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Editions L'Oeuvre Gravée, Bern.
Plate: 55 x 41.6 cm. ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Judgements: Blitz
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Plate 1 from 'Judgements'.
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 100.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Blue Moon Gallery, New York.
Plat...
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Aimera bien qui aimera le dernier
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 85.
Printed on Lana wove paper and published by Georges Visat, Paris.
Plate: 42 x 32.7 cm.
(Sabatier 194).
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
L'Helicoptère
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Plate 1 from 'Scènes familières'.
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 50.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Editions Galerie Le Point Ca...
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Viens Voir
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 99.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Editions L'Oeuvre Gravée, Bern in 1970.
Plate: 41.1 x 54.6 cm....
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Castronautes
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 100.
Printed on Arches wove paper by Atelier Georges Visat, Paris.
Published by Editions L'Oeuvre Gravée, Bern.
Plate: 23.5 x 31 cm.
(Sabati...
Category
1960s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
FMR: Plate 7
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil, from the edition of 85.
Printed on Arches wove paper and published by Georges Visat, Paris.
Plate: 23.8 x 17.7 cm.
(Sabatier 266).
Category
1970s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Droites Libérées: Plate 9
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
From 'Droites Libérées', a series which illustrated a poem by Henri Michaux.
Signed in pencil, numbered in Roman numerals from XXV.
From the suite on Japon nacré paper (the total e...
Category
1970s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Aquatint, Etching
Cruxificion
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil at lower right.
Category
1950s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Crayon, Pencil
Que principio a abrir los ojos
By Roberto Matta
Located in London, GB
Signed in pencil at lower right. Inscribed 'Que principio a abrir los ojos' ('Where to start when you open your eyes') in pencil at lower centre.
Category
1950s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Crayon, Color Pencil
Untitled - Oil on Canvas by Roberto Sebastian Matta - 1996
By Roberto Matta
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an original oil on canvas realized by Roberto Sébastian Matta in 1996.
It comes with a certificate of authenticity by Matta's son ...
Category
1990s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Aquatint, Etching
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (from "Così fan tutte" portfolio)
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Image: 21 x 17 in.
Frame (suede): 31 x 26 in.
Signed and numbered in pencil
Category
20th Century Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
La vigna di una foglia
By Roberto Matta
Located in Malmo, SE
Technique: Terre colorée sur toile de jute.
Delivered with the certificate of authenticity from the archives of Roberto Matta.
Artwork size: 100 x 100 cm.
Frame size: 114 x 112 cm.
Free shipment worldwide.
Acquired directly from the artist.
“The heart is an eye,” writes Nobel laureate Octavio Paz in an essay on Matta’s paintings. Matta creates a world coloured both by a sunny faith in the future and by visions of impending doom.
Roberto Sebastian Echaurren Antonio Matta, who died aged 91 on 23 November 2002, was born in Santiago, Chile, on 11 November 1911 into a family with Spanish, French and Basque roots, and raised in an atmosphere of religiosity. By the age of 21 he had graduated and begun work as an architect, but his leisure time he devoted to sketching and painting. In 1933 he travelled to Europe for the first time, visiting Greece, Yugoslavia, Italy and other countries, and subsequently taking the initiative to collaborate with the architect, Le Corbusier. As time passed, however, Matta’s enthusiasm for a career in architecture waned, and he began to devote himself full-time to art, making early acquaintances with surrealists such as Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, André Breton and others.
Between 1939 and 1948 Matta, like many of his artistic contemporaries, lived in self-imposed exile in the USA, but, after almost 10 years’ absence from Europe, he returned to make first Rome and then, a few years later, Paris his home. Throughout most of the rest of his life Matta commuted between his studio in Paris and his creative refuge in the monastery outside Rome. And it is here, in Italy, that he produced his greatest paintings.
Matta’s first retrospective in Sweden was organised in 1956 when his works were exhibited in what was then Galerie Colibri – run by, among others, the artist C O Hultén at number 36 Södra Förstadsgatan in Malmö, Sweden. This was also the time when Matta began to collaborate with poets and other artists in Sweden. He produced the illustrations for Lasse Söderberg’s first anthology of poems, Akrobaterna (“The Acrobats”), published in 1955, and was also responsible for the cover of the Swedish art and literary magazine Salamander.
In 1959 the first museum exhibition of Matta’s work in Europe was arranged at the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet) in Stockholm. Held under the aegis of Pontus Hultén, it was entitled “Fifteen Forms of Doubt” and included 15 or so gigantic paintings...
Category
1980s Surrealist Roberto Matta Art
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
Roberto Matta art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Roberto Matta art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, green, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Roberto Matta in etching, aquatint, lithograph and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Roberto Matta art, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Leonor Fini, André Masson, and Man Ray. Roberto Matta art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $200 and tops out at $127,935, while the average work can sell for $2,400.
Artists Similar to Roberto Matta
Questions About Roberto Matta Art
- Who is the artist Matta?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Chilean artist Roberto Matta is sometimes referred to simply as “Matta.” One of Chile’s most famous artists, Matta is best known for his contributions to surrealist and expressionist painting during the 20th century. Shop a collection of authentic Roberto Matta pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Chilean-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, 2022Roberto 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.