“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.
Floricor by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Floricor by Roberto Matta is a ceramic bas-relief created at Bottega Gatti (Faenza, IT) in 1995 in a limited edition of 150 Arabic numbers + 40 Roman numerals. Roberto Matta tries t...
Ceramic
Etre Cri by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Etre Cri by Roberto Matta is a ceramic piece created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in a limi...
Ceramic
Italian Ceramic Vase by Roberto Rigon
By Roberto Rigon
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Stunning hand painted ceramic by Roberto Rigon 1970. Probably made for olive oil or vinegar to use on the Italians dinner tables of the period.
Ceramic
Vase by Gertrud Lönegren, Rörstrand, Sweden, 1930s
By Rörstrand, Gertrud Lönegren
Located in Malmö, SE
Beautiful and rare stoneware vase designed by Gertrud Lönegren. This studio piece was created at Rorstrand in Sweden between 1936-1941. Excellent condition. Impressed 'Rörstrand ...
Ceramic
Hand Painted Dish by Schramberg Pottery
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Hand painted dish by Schramberg Pottery, Germany circa 1980s.
Ceramic
$330
H 7.09 in W 7.88 in D 2.76 in
Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello Italy, Mid-Century Modern ceramic vase, 1960
By Bertoncello, Roberto Rigon
Located in The Hague, NL
Stunning, big Mid-Century glazed ceramic vase. A beautiful masterpiece of Italian designer Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello Ceramiche d’Arte. These vases all are unique. It’s produced b...
Ceramic
Dish By Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Kastrup, DK
This striking stoneware dish was designed by Gunnar Nylund (1904–1997) for the renowned Swedish manufacturer Rörstrand in the 1960s. The dish is executed in a vivid azure blue glaze,...
Ceramic
1940's Argenta Stoneware Plate by Wilhelm Kåge
By Wilhelm Kage, Gustavsberg
Located in New York, NY
1940's Argenta stoneware plate with female siluett decor by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg. The now iconic Argenta stoneware collection with its green gl...
Ceramic
Stone Mural by Olivia Cognet
By Olivia Cognet
Located in Geneve, CH
Stone Mural by Olivia Cognet Dimensions: D 5 x W 330 x H 260 cm Materials: Stone Base, Glazed Deep Green. Each of Olivia’s handmade creations is a unique work of art, the snapshot...
Stone
Ceramic Bird Sculpture by Pol Chambost, 1950
By Pol Chambost
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Elegant ceramic bird sculpture by famous French artist Pol Chambost. Beautiful blue ceramic glaze. Signed under the base: POL CHAMBOST circa 1950 Excellent condition.
Ceramic
$529
H 8.96 in W 13.98 in D 3.15 in
Roberto Rigon for Giovanni Bertoncello Italian Modernist Art Pottery Vase
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A large and impressive mid-century Italian Giovanni Bertoncello modernist art pottery vase formed in a retro ‘C’ shape and decorated in 'Scretzia...
Ceramic
Mini Mural by Olivia Cognet
By Olivia Cognet
Located in Geneve, CH
Mini Mural by Olivia Cognet Dimensions: D 5 x W 26 x H 32 cm Materials: Travertine. Each of Olivia’s handmade creations is a unique work of art, the snapshot of a precious moment ...
Stone
Decorative Ceramic Candleholder by Pscheffer
Located in Miami, FL
Beautiful midcentury handcrafted candleholder by Scheffer. The prominent azur blue tone is very pleasing to the eye with accentuating white with hints of brown/black in a wonderful ...
Ceramic
Midcentury Bitossi Vase by Aldo Londi
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in Waddinxveen, ZH
Midcentury pattern Vetrata vase by Aldo Londi for Bitossi Italy. Black and blue on a brushed background.
Ceramic