“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.
Roberto Matta El Zuni, ceramic plate, limited edition, Italy, 1995
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
El Zuni by Roberto Matta is a ceramic plate created at Bottega Gatti (Faenza, IT) in 1995 in a limited edition of 120 pieces. Roberto Matta tries to get to the origin of things with...
Ceramic
Lino Sabattini Italy Vase "Persepoli" Limited Edition 8/237
By Lino Sabattini
Located in Toledo, OH
Lio Sabattini "Persepoli" limited edition vase 8/237 Italy.
Metal
Vintage Bertoncello Ceramic Vase By Roberto Rigon, Italy 70s
By Bertoncello, Roberto Rigon
Located in Lucija, SI
Large ceramics vase designed by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello in Italy in the 70s Perfect conditions
Ceramic
$313Sale Price|35% Off
H 12.6 in W 6.3 in D 5.52 in
Mid Century Bertoncello by Roberto Rigon Sculptural Ceramic Vase, Italy, 1960s
By Giovanni Bertoncello, Roberto Rigon
Located in Valencia, VC
Sculptural Mid Century Modern chimney style ceramic vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello Ceramiche. Featuring the Tobacco classic mottled tan color, this beautifully designed piece ...
Ceramic
$708Sale Price|20% Off
H 12.6 in W 6.3 in D 2.76 in
Sculptural Ceramic Vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello, Italy, 1960s
By Roberto Rigon, Bertoncello
Located in Valencia, VC
Mid-Century Sculptural Ceramic Vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello, Italy A striking and rare large-scale sculptural ceramic vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello, executed in the...
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware
$342
H 9.45 in W 11.82 in D 5.91 in
Italian Midcentury Ceramic Pitcher by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello
By Roberto Rigon, Bertoncello
Located in Vienna, AT
This fantastic large Italian glazed ceramic pitcher was designed by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello art ceramics ca around 1970. It feature...
Ceramic
Italian Midcentury Ceramic Vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello
By Bertoncello, Roberto Rigon
Located in Vienna, AT
This fantastic large Italian glazed ceramic vase was designed by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello art ceramics ca around 1970. It features a...
Ceramic
$684
H 10.24 in W 7.88 in D 3.94 in
Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello Vase in Ceramic Mod.917, Italy 1960s
By Roberto Rigon, Bertoncello
Located in Naples, IT
Fantastic abstract ceramic sculpture vase glazed cream ivory color with light brown and rust terracotta pigment. from the 1950s/60s. Designer Roberto Rigon for the Bertoncello Compan...
Ceramic
Venini 1980's Italian Glass "A Canne" Bottle Vase Sculpture Limited Edition
By Venini, Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Gorgeous red, blue and clear glass striped "A Canne" bottle vase limited edition sculpture. Engraved signature to bottom Venini '88 for Iveco. Numbered 95/250. Iveco is one of the world’s largest commercial vehicles manufacturers, and is a member of the FIAT group. Iveco ordered these Venini decanters...
Blown Glass
$480
H 11.63 in W 6.5 in D 7.75 in
Bertoncello by Roberto Rigon Mid Century Ceramic Vase, Italy, 1960s
By Bertoncello
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An amazing ceramic Mid-Century Modern vase made in Italy, circa 1960s. This is a beautiful ceramic vase. Vase is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, or flea bites. Nice col...
Ceramic
$228
H 8.27 in W 7.29 in D 3.55 in
sculptural bertoncello italy ceramic VASE roberto rigon 1970s model 911
By Roberto Rigon, Bertoncello
Located in Mannheim, DE
Fantastic Italian mid century ceramic vase. Designed by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello. Beautiful sculptural shape, glaze in different shades of light brown and russet. Model 911. Di...
Ceramic
$564
H 9.45 in W 7.49 in D 4.73 in
Italian Multicolored Ceramic Vase by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello, Italy 70s
By Roberto Rigon, Bertoncello
Located in Lucija, SI
Classic Roberto Rigon design but in multicolor Ceramic vase designed for Bertoncello Model 863 Perfect conditions
Ceramic
Bertoncello by Roberto Rigon Mid Century Ceramic Vase, Italy, 1960s
By Bertoncello
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An amazing ceramic Mid-Century Modern vase made in Italy, circa 1960s. This is a beautiful ceramic vase. Vase is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, or flea bites. Nice col...
Ceramic