“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.
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
La vigna di una foglia
By Roberto Matta
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
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...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Siren's Song
By Katherine Bello
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello Title: Siren's Song Medium: oil and charcoal on canvas Year: 2021 Size: 22" x 46" x 1.5" Signed, dated and inscribed by hand COA provided (issued by representing gallery) Katherine Bello's aim as an artist is to capture a sense of place, a moment of time, or a feeling - to evoke a sense of wonder. Bello loves paint and paint brushes; bold, gestural mark-making and the interplay of color. She is influenced by light and landscape, poetry, history and science. Formerly educated in Chemical Engineering and Interior Design, Bello is drawn to the process of creating Something out of Nothing. Abstract, sbstract art...
Canvas, Oil
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
H 36 in W 48 in D 0.75 in
Spheres and Cubes - Geometric Surrealist Landscape in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Spheres and Cubes - Geometric Surrealist Landscape in Acrylic on Canvas Bright and lively surrealist landscape by Randy Dunham (American, b. 1961). Six spheres float above a minimalist landscape with mountains and a body of still water. Some of the spheres are transparent and others are opaque, with three cubes partially obscuring the transparent ones. There are streams of water hitting the shapes and splashing into the body of water below. Signed and dated "Randy Dunham © Nov 04" in the lower left corner. No frame. Canvas size: 36"H x 48"W Randy Dunham (American, b. 1961) was born in Troy New York...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,475
H 32 in W 29 in
Landscape 2 - Abstract Color Drenched Architectural Modern Painting on Canvas
By Maria C. Bernhardsson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,475
H 32 in W 30 in
Paradise Mountain II - Abstract Color Drenched Landscape Painting on Canvas
By Maria C. Bernhardsson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Huellas, Threads
By Israel Gonz��lez Rivero
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Israel Gonzalez Rivero Titled in Spanish, Huellas, in English Threads Mixed media on canvas, purchased from the artist in the 1990s. 54.75 x 27.5 Inches A painter, sculptor and designers. Cuba's national writers and artists union members Barcelona, member of Spain ACEA international association In 2005, member of Canada Montreal Artotheque Member of "The south" project organizing committee Model art representative Member of Cuba-Mexico "Yeti" project Born in 1964 in Cuba Manzanillo Art education: 1992-education certificate for art 1983-graduated from "Jose j. Tejada" college, Santiago, Cuba 1979-graduated from "Carlos Enriquez...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$2,029
H 25.6 in W 21.66 in D 0.99 in
LOVE ISLAND - Original people surrealistic painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
$1,475
H 33 in W 29 in
Beaujolais - Abstract Muted Tone Architectural Still Life Painting on Canvas
By Maria C. Bernhardsson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,082
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.2 in
Original-Breakfast with Cat-Oil on canvas-British Awarded Artist-English Roses
Located in London, GB
Shizico paints life as the moments unfold, capturing consecutive mornings spent with her cherished cat, Sonny in a series of paintings and postcard projects. In this dreamscape, agai...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,700
H 39 in W 47 in
Full Colors - Original Abstract Colorful Playful Painting
By Leonardo Aguirre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Uruguayan artist Leonardo Aguirre creates visually animated surreal scenes in a theatrical environment. Aguirre rearranges whimsical components into unexpectedly harmonious ways of surreal settings that could only exist in an alternate dimension. The idea of a colorful atmosphere with everyday recognizable signs and elements allows the art aficionado to imagine scenes one day and discover another story the next day. His work is a post-constructivist style that has roots in the legacy school of Torres-García. This one-of-a-kind 39-inch high by 47-inch wide original artwork is stretched, wired, and ready to hang. The sides are painted. It does not require framing and is signed by the artist on the front of the artwork. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable U.S. and global shipping is available. Aguirre's architectural training is evident in his expert use of planes of color and precise brushwork to construct immersive, surreal environments that transport viewers to alternate dimensions. His whimsical rearrangement of everyday objects and recognizable signs creates unexpectedly harmonious settings that are visually stunning and emotionally evocative. Aguirre's artworks invite viewers to explore his mini-universes and discover new stories with each visit. Aguirre was born and lives in Montevideo, Uruguay. His works have been exhibited in Italy, Uruguay, Belgium, the UK, Argentina, Chicago, and Los Angeles. REPRESENTATION Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA EXHIBITIONS 2022 “Celebrating Latinx Artists”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2021 “Light On Your Feet”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2020 “Hidden Keyholes”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2018 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA 2017 Art for the People Gallery, Austin, Texas, USA 2016 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA 2015 Bohemian Art Gallery, Montevideo, Uruguay 2015 Rhizome Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2014 Chicago Art Space Gallery, Chicago, USA 2014 10 años Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2013 Chicago Art Space Gallery, Chicago, USA 2013 Galeria Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay 2012 Trifecta Gallery, “6191”, Las Vegas, USA 2011 Golf Club, Montevideo, Uruguay 2011 Colectiva Bolosano Arts Hotel Piazza Mazzini 35 2010 Castells Art Gallery, Montevideo, Uruguay 2010 Nuestro norte es el sur Venice, Italy 2010 Ristoranti Cultural Space “il Simposio”, Trento, Italy 2010 Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2009 Mvd Art Gallery, The Famous Grouse, Montevideo, Uruguay 2009 Wallione de Bruxelles (Grand Place), Belgium 2009 Lido de Venezia Muestra Colectiva, Italy 2009 Agosto Torri del Benaco, Italy 2009 Palazzao della gran Guardia, Verona, Italy 2009 Museo Rawson, Pedro Meyer, Luis Camnitzer 2009 Lla Patagonia, Argentina 2009 Woburn Gallery Studios, United Kingdom 2008 Basilicata Collective Show, Italy 2007 100 Años Punta del Este...
Canvas, Oil
$1,475
H 33 in W 30 in
House on a Hill 1 - Abstract Color Drenched Nature Landscape Painting on Canvas
By Maria C. Bernhardsson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,495
H 29 in W 23 in D 2 in
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Abstract Figural Signed Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal figural painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 29 inches overall. Handsomely frame...
Oil, Canvas
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
H 19 in W 31 in D 2 in
Mid Century Modernist Surreal Sunset Abstract Nude Woman Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist surreal landscape. Oil on canvas, circa 1981. Signed on verso. Image size 30L x 18H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Canvas, Oil
Pomme de Mer
By Roberto Matta
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Artwork size: 105×83 cm. Frame size: 112×91×4,5 cm. This artwork is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Alisée Matta. Provenance: Gallery Alexander Iolas, New York. Free shipment worldwide. “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...
Canvas, Oil
Passage et sage du couple
By Roberto Matta
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel, 1964 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annotated Essai 1/1 Publisher : Georges Visat (Paris) Catalog : Sabatier 110 34.00 cm. x 44.50 cm. 13.39 in. x 17.52 in. (paper) ...
Pastel
Passage et sage du couple
By Roberto Matta
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel, 1964 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annotated Essai 1/1 Publisher : Georges Visat (Paris) Catalog : Sabatier 106 34.00 cm. x 44.50 cm. 13.39 in. x 17.52 in. (paper) ...
Pastel
Espacio de l'Especie
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
By rejecting a fixed vantage point, Matta sought to transform the traditional understanding of time and space and re-interpret the fluctuating energy in the universe. Created as the ...
Oil
Sold
H 32.68 in W 28.15 in
Untitled - Original Oil on Canvas by Roberto Sebastian Matta - 1987
By Roberto Matta
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled Artwork is an original oil painting on canvas realized in 1987 by Roberto Sebastián Matta. Hand-signed in dark green oil paint on the...
Oil
Le centre du cicle
By Roberto Matta
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Artwork size: 145×140 cm. Frame size: 152×148×4,5 cm. Acquired directly from the artist. This work is registered in the Archives of Roberto Matta, under number 71/82 and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Germana Ferrari-Matta. Free shipment worldwide. “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 and about 3 dozen drawings. Today Matta is represented in virtually all world-class museums. Siwert Bergström first contacted Matta in Paris in 1976, visiting him in his studio there and later at his home in Rome. The outcome of the meetings was an exhibition at Galleri Kända Målare in Jönköping, Sweden, later the same year. In 1988 several of Matta’s works were shown at Galleri GKM in Malmö, and in conjunction with this exhibition the gallery published a book on Matta with texts by Octavio Paz, including the prose poem “The Heart is an Eye”. The book also contains contributions by Lasse Söderberg, Ingemar Leckius and text fragments penned by Matta himself, one of which is his prose poem “The Earth is a Man”. In the autumn of 1991 Galleri GKM organised a second Matta exhibition...
Canvas, Oil
Espacio de l'Especie
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
By rejecting a fixed vantage point, Matta sought to transform the traditional understanding of time and space and re-interpret the fluctuating energy in the universe. Created as the ...
Oil
Threshold of Love
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: Threshold of Love Year: 1955 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 46 in. x 59 in. (116.84 cm x 149.86 cm) Accompanied by a certifica...
Canvas, Oil