“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.
Raising A Glass, Surrealist Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - Raising A Glass, Year: circa 1943, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 9.75 x 8 inches, Size: 15 x 11.75 in. (38.1 x 29.85 cm), Reference: Unrecorde...
Etching
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$1,600
Un Autre Apres from the Femme Portfolio, Surrealist Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
This compelling 1973 etching by Roberto Matta explores themes of transformation and the human form through Latin American Surrealism and expressive nude imagery. Matta’s distinctive ...
Etching
"Centre Noeuds" planche #10
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #10, 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It i...
Aquatint
Centre Noeuds - Portfolio of Ten Lithographs
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Centre Noeuds (Centre Knots) Portfolio, 1974 Hand-Signed Etching, aquatint in colors/Arches paper, with title page, colophon and poem by Antonin Artaud. In-portfolio 14 x 10 1/2 in E...
Lithograph
La Dulce Aqua Vita, Signed Surrealist Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
"La Dulce Aqua Vita" means the "Sweet Water of Life". In this colorful print, Chilean Surrealist, Roberto Matta's surreal figure turns an urn upside-down to pour out the magical wate...
Handmade Paper, Etching
The New School, Surrealist Suite of 10 etchings by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - The New School, Year: 1943, Medium: Suite of 10 etchings, lacking cover sheet, Image Size: 7.75 x 6 inches, Size: 15 x 11.75 in. (38.1 x 29.8...
Etching
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Roberto Matta, The Barrel Organ, from Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979
By Roberto Matta
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Roberto Matta (1911–2002), titled El organo de Berberia (The Barrel Organ), from the album Ediciones Poligrafa, Barcelona - Redfern Gallery, London, orig...
Lithograph
La Danse de la Mort, Surrealist Suite of 8 Aquatint Etchings by Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: La Danse de la Mort - Planche 1-8 Year: 1972 Medium: Suite of 8 Aquatint Etchings, Each Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 41/...
Etching, Aquatint
Les Manifestes du Surrealisme, Surrealist Two Etchings by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 -2002) - Les Manifestes du Surrealisme Diptych, Year: 1946, Medium: Two Etchings, titled in the plate, Edition: 58, Image Size: 5.5 x 4 inches, Size:...
Etching
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Roberto Matta, The Black Sun of Melancholy, from XXe siecle, 1975
By Roberto Matta
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Roberto Matta (1911–2002), titled Le Soleil Noir de la Melancolie (The Black Sun of Melancholy), from the album XXe siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXVIIe Annee...
Lithograph
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
Sans Titre
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Sans Titre" 1968, is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is hand signed and numbered 30/...
Lithograph
Hecatombe de Toros
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Hecatombe de Toros" 1971, is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is hand signed and numb...
Lithograph
Hecatombe de Toros
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Hecatombe de Toros" 1971, is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is hand signed and numb...
Lithograph
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$8,500
La Une a L'h Pile (Head to Head), Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
An early large-scale work by Chilean artist Roberto Matta. In this black-and-white surrealist piece, various figures can be seen in various acts. Signed and numbered in pencil. This edition is not from the Arabic numbered edition of 40. La Une a L’h Pile (Head to...
Etching, Aquatint
Cosmicstrip I, Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Cosmicstrip I by Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911–2002) Date: 1959 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 21/50 Image Size: 14.75 x 19.25 inches Frame Size: 23.75 x 28 inches ...
Etching, Aquatint
L'eau est Mana, Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - L'eau est Mana, Year: 1974, Medium: Lithograph on Arches Paper, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 50/200, Image Size: 21.5 x 30 inche...
Lithograph
L'eau est Mana, Framed Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta Title: L'eau est Mana Year: 1974 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200 Size: 21.5 x 30 inches (54.61 x 76.2 cm) Frame...
Lithograph
De trace de pas de trace de…
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairlawn, OH
De trace de pas de trace de… Color etching with aquatint, 1966 From: Monsour and Matta, Les Damnations, 1966 (11 plates, this one of 7 hors text images) Edition: 85 portfolios in the...
Etching, Aquatint
Attulima, Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - Attulima, Year: 1954, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 211, Image Size: 10.75 x 8.5 inches, Size: 10.75 x 17 in. (27.31 x 43.18 cm), Publisher: E...
Lithograph
$3,000
4 AM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: 4 AM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures Year: 1975 Medium: Aquatint Etching, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: XXXI/XXXIII Image Si...
Etching, Aquatint
Cosmicstrip IV, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Cosmicstrip IV by Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911–2002) Date: 1959 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 21/50 Image Size: 14.75 x 19.25 inches Frame Size: 23.75 x 28 inches...
Etching, Aquatint
Cosmicstrip III, Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Cosmicstrip III by Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911–2002) Date: 1959 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 21/50 Image Size: 14.75 x 19.25 inches Frame Size: 23.75 x 28 inche...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
L' Explosion Qui Eclaire Mon Abime (framed signed aquatint and etching)
By Roberto Matta
Located in Aventura, FL
Aquatint and etching on paper. Hand signed lower right by Roberto Matta. Hand numbered 90/100 lower left. Image size: 14.1 x 18.6 inches. Sheet size: 26 x 19.6 inches. Frame siz...
Paper, Etching, Aquatint
$10,462Sale Price|25% Off
La Dulce Aqua Vita (large signed carborundum etching on hand made paper)
By Roberto Matta
Located in Aventura, FL
Carborundum etching on hand made paper. Hand signed lower front by Roberto Matta. Edition 111/125. Published by Nordstamp. Artwork is in overall excellent condition. Certificate...
Paper, Etching
$880Sale Price|20% Off
FOG, GOG, AND MAGOG
By Roberto Matta
Located in Santa Monica, CA
ROBERTO MATTA (1911-2002) FOG, GOG, AND MAGOG 1971 Color lithograph. Plate 1 from “Fog Gog, and Magog” 1971. Signed in pencil and numbered. This work is number 92 from the edition o...
Lithograph
The Eld of The World
By Roberto Matta
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Roberto Matta Title: The Eld of The World Medium: Carborundum Etching on Handmade Paper Signed: Hand Signed by Roberto Matta Edition Number: AP 1/1 Original Working Proof ...
Etching
Minded Mind, Surrealist Suite of Six Lithographs by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
This original 1966 lithograph by Roberto Matta captures the Surrealist master’s exploration of psychological landscapes and political consciousness through abstract biomorphic forms....
Lithograph
La Dulce Aqua Vita
By Roberto Matta
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Roberto Matta Title: La Dulce Aqua Vita Medium: Carborundum Etching on Handmade Paper Signed: Hand Signed Edition Number: 17/125 Measurements: 47" x 41" Year: 2002 Publ...
Etching
original lithograph
By Roberto Matta
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Lithograph
Sans Titre, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
This raucous scene by Latin American Surrealist Roberto Matta shows leaping nude figures flying through the air above what look like boulders. Their bodies are warped and stretched a...
Etching, Aquatint
Centre Noeuds
By Roberto Matta
Located in Paris, FR
Etching, 1974 Handsigned by the artist in pencil Edition : ea 14/15 Publisher : Georges Visat (Paris) & Editions Alexander Kahan (New York) Catalog : [Ferrari 88–97 ; Sabatier 393–40...
Etching
"T'ou't se tient" original lithograph
By Roberto Matta
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Issued in 1975 for XXe Siecle (issue no. 45), published in Paris by San Lazzaro. Sheet size 12 1/8 x 9 1/2 inches (310 x 240mm). Not signed.
Lithograph
Tout se Tient - Lithograph by Roberto Sebastian Matta - 1975
By Roberto Matta
Located in Roma, IT
T'ou't se tient is an Artwork realized in 1975 by Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (Santiago, Chile, 1911 - Civitavecchia, Italy, 2002). Colored Litograph on paper.Realize...
Lithograph
"Centre Noeuds" planche #5
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #5, 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is...
Aquatint
$3,000
2 AM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: 2 AM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures Year: 1975 Medium: Aquatint Etching, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: XXXI/XXXIII Image Si...
Etching, Aquatint
MATTA - 10 EROTIC ETCHINGS - New School Portfolio
By Roberto Matta
Located in Santa Monica, CA
ROBERTO MATTA (Chilean 1911- 2002) NEW SCHOOL PORTFOLIO (1943-5) (Sabatier 1-7, 4 prints not recorded by Sabatier) Portfolio with complete set of 10 etch...
Etching
Tout se Tient - Lithograph by Roberto Sebastian Matta - 1975
By Roberto Matta
Located in Roma, IT
T'ou't se tient is an Artwork realized in 1975 by Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (Santiago, Chile, 1911 - Civitavecchia, Italy, 2002). Colored Litograph on paper.Realize...
Lithograph
Tout se Tient - Lithograph by Roberto Sebastian Matta - 1975
By Roberto Matta
Located in Roma, IT
T'ou't se tient is an Artwork realized in 1975 by Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (Santiago, Chile, 1911 - Civitavecchia, Italy, 2002). Colored Litograph on paper.Realize...
Lithograph
Untitled
By Roberto Matta
Located in Paris, FR
Etching and aquatint Edition : ESSAI 66.00 cm. x 50.00 cm. 25.98 in. x 19.69 in. (paper) 40.00 cm. x 31.50 cm. 15.75 in. x 12.4 in. (image) Handsigned by the artist in pencil Certi...
Etching, Aquatint
Porol-Vua, Signed Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: Porol-Vua Year: 1978 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 97/100 Image Size: 20 x 28.5 inches Size: 22 x 29....
Lithograph
"Centre Noeuds" planche #6
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #6 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is ...
Aquatint
"Centre Noeuds" planche #9
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #9, 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is...
Aquatint
"Centre Noeuds" planche #3
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #3 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is ...
Aquatint
$4,850
Ma Chair Rie from Requiem pour La Fin des Temps, Etching/Pastel by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
A unique hand-colored proof aside from the regular signed and numbered edition. The print has the publisher's ink stamp and hand-written authenticity on the verso. Artist: Rober...
Aquatint, Etching, Pastel
Totem, Surrealist Lithograph with Hand-Coloring by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - Totem, Year: 1955-56, Medium: Lithograph with Hand-Coloring, Image Size: 25.5 x 18 inches, Size: 26 x 18.75 in. (66.04 x 47.63 cm), Frame S...
Lithograph
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Roberto Matta, The Voices of Silence, from XXe siecle, 1976
By Roberto Matta
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Roberto Matta (1911–2002), titled Les Voix du Silence (The Voices of Silence), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXVIIIe Annee, No. 46, origina...
Lithograph
$956Sale Price|20% Off
Roberto Matta, The Lovers of the Thermocouple, from XXe siecle, 1977
By Roberto Matta
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Roberto Matta (1911–2002), titled Les Amants du Thermocouple (The Lovers of the Thermocouple), from the album XXe Siecle, numero special hors abonnement,...
Lithograph
$1,413
Original poster of Roberto Matta - May 68 : Disciples occupy the discipline
By Roberto Matta
Located in PARIS, FR
Original poster of Roberto Matta created in May 68, with the slogan: Disciples occupy the discipline. For a revolutionary discipline. Born on November 11, ...
Linen, Paper, Lithograph
"Centre Noeuds" planche #7
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #7, 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is...
Aquatint
$200Sale Price|20% Off
1975 Roberto Matta 'T'ou't se tient' Contemporary France Lithograph
By Roberto Matta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paper Size: 12.25 x 9.5 inches ( 31.115 x 24.13 cm ) Image Size: 12.25 x 9.5 inches ( 31.115 x 24.13 cm ) Framed: No Condition: A-: Near Mint, very light signs of handling Addi...
Lithograph
Hecatombe de Toros
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Hecatombe de Toros" 1971, is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is hand signed and numb...
Lithograph
"Centre Noeuds" planche #2
By Roberto Matta
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Centre Noeuds" plate #2, 1974, is an original color etching with aquatint on Japan nacre paper by renown Chilean artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, 1911-2002. It is...
Aquatint
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$2,800
10PM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Surrealist Etching by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - 10PM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Year: 1975, Medium: Etching with Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 89/125, Image Size: 1...
Etching, Aquatint