“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 Mezzanotte floor lamp, aluminium Paradisoterrestre limited edition
By Roberto Matta, Paradisoterrestre
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in the early 1970s - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2026 Materials: aluminium, PVC shade, plexiglass base Born in the early 1970s from the multifaceted imagination of surrealis...
Aluminum
Roberto Matta Ore Tre Table Lamp, aluminium Paradisoterrestre limited Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in the early 1970s - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2026 Materials: aluminium, PVC shade, plexiglass base Born in the early 1970s from the multifaceted imagination of surrealis...
Aluminum
Roberto Matta Rombo floor lamp, Paradisoterrestre limited Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in the early 1970s - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2026 Materials: gold-lacquered metal, fabric lampshade Born in the early 1970s from the multifaceted imagination of surreali...
Metal
Roberto Matta for Arredoluce Adjustable Ceiling Fixture in Brass, Italy, 1950
By Roberto Matta
Located in New York, NY
Classic Arredoluce ceiling fixture in brass and lacquered aluminum, it can be adjusted up or down with a tensioning mechanism. 2 are available, price is for 1.
Aluminum, Brass
$1,138
H 14.18 in W 9.45 in D 3.15 in
Sabina Grubbeson December Nysnö Limited Edition Table Lamp by Konsthantverk
By Konsthantverk Tyringe 1, Sabina Grubbeson
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table lamp model December Snö with four arms designed by Sabina Grubbeson and manufactured by Konsthantverk. Limited Edition painted by hand. The production of lamps, wall lights an...
Steel
Bronze Floor Lamp 'Matta' by french designer Alexandre Logé
By Alexandre Logé
Located in Paris, FR
"Matta" is a Designed large floor lamp in solid bronze, signed with the french artist’s mark of Alexandre logé Limited edition x 25. Numbered 2 / 25. Single LED bulb inside opening a...
Bronze
Arredoluce style ceiling pendant, Italy circa 1960s
By Arredoluce
Located in Long Island City, NY
Arredoluce style ceiling pendant. Opaline glass, brass, enameled metal Designed and made in Italy, 1960s Takes 1 medium base bulb. Complimentary US rewiring upon request. Overall hei...
Metal, Brass
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Chandelier in Hammered Brass
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, chandelier, model 12369, brass, Italy, circa 1951 Angelo Lelii, the creative mind behind Arredoluce, crafted this chandelier with an organic, flowing sh...
Brass
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Brass Chandelier Model 12369, Italy
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Vienna, AT
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, suspension light model 12369, Italy circa 1950-1960 Organic chandelier designed by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce. The composition unfolds through six leaf...
Brass
ARREDOLUCE - Angelo LELLI - attributed chandelier - Made in ITALY 1950s
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Milano, IT
Original 1950s chandelier,,, attributed for quality and design to ANGELO LELLI, ARREDOLUCE production. Made in Italy-
Aluminum, Brass
Benny Limited Edition Bronze and Alabaster Table Lamp
By Matlight Milano
Located in Milan, IT
This stunning table lamp comes in a limited edition collection of 10 pieces. With its refined Art Deco flair, this elegant collector's item features an exquisitely handcrafted bronze and alabaster circular base, a sleek cone-shaped bronze body extending into an oval lampshade...
Alabaster, Bronze
Helix Floor Lamp, Black Copper by Robert Kuo, Limited Edition
By Robert Kuo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Helix floor lamp Black copper Hand repoussé Linen shade Limited edition Repousse´ is the traditional art of hand-hammering decorative relief on...
Copper
Table Lamp Horizonte by Studio Superego, Limited Edition of 9
By Studio Superego
Located in Asti, Piemonte
A beautiful table lamp in transparent plexiglass with inclusion agate discs and brass base designed by Studio Superego for Superego Editions. Limited edition of 9 pieces. Biography ...
Agate, Brass
$1,145 / item
H 49.22 in W 5.71 in D 9.06 in
Anatomy Design 'Steel Lab Light Floor' Steel and Aluminium Floor Lamp
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Floor lamp designed by Anatomy Design in 2010. Inspired by her parents’ pharmaceutical work and their old lab equipment, Andrea Kleinloog from Anatomy Design designed the Lab Light...
Aluminum, Steel
Stilnovo Ceiling Lamp In Brass and Plexiglass, Italy 1950s
By Stilnovo
Located in Milan, IT
Stilnovo Ceiling Lamp In Brass and Plexiglass, Italy 1950s Carries Four Neon lamps. The lamp needs complete neon and transformers rewiring for US use.
Aluminum, Brass
$4,800 / item
H 30.32 in W 18.12 in D 18.12 in
Contemporary Japanese Chochin Floor Lamp Limited Edition #1 Zen Washi
By Ryosuke Harashima
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Name: OBAKE A Contemporary style Japanese Washi Japanese traditional paper shade floor lamp. Washi shade is famous as Isamu Noguchi Akari lightings. Base is made of brass. Limited pattern painted model. Edition of 3+1AP E26,27 light bulb. Available to work with 100-250V. Artist statement In Japan, there is an animist belief that the soul dwells in old tools that have passed a long time and turns into spirits such as "Youkai" or "OBAKE." Its existence lurks in the darkness of everyday life, sometimes causing fear and sometimes entertaining. This lantern is not an old tool, but it is made by the historic "Kojima Shoten", where the 10th generation are craftsmen in Kyoto. It's rare nowadays, and it's a style in which lanterns are made from bamboo bones to assembling papers and painting in one workshop and go. So, I decided to transform the polite crafted Japanese lanterns, which have been run through a traditional history, into a modern and pop style. It's not just OBAKE lurking in the darkness, but an existence who snuggles up to us as a more sophisticated being. These one-eyed OBAKE have a meaningful look that originated in ancient Sanskrit culture. The red-eye "A [a]" is the facial expression that is the first pronunciation to make a sound in Sanskrit, which means "truth" and "spirit of inquiry" at the same time. The blue-eyed "UN [hu?]" expresses the pronunciation to close the sound, and at the same time means "wisdom" and "nirvana." There is also the idea that describing the beginning and end of the universe is represented by considering the "A" and "UN" as a pair. In Asia, it is a common sight to see a pair of guardian statues...
Brass
$17,178
H 95.28 in W 86.62 in D 11.82 in
Limited edition floor lamp Arco by Achille Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Flos, 1962
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Limited edition floor lamp Arco by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, 2002 Floor lamp model Arco, limited edition, with direct light. The aluminum diffuser is a dome, adj...
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
$16,500
H 44.5 in W 9.5 in D 9.5 in
Arredoluce Rare Ivory Lacquer Brass Lantern Pendant Ceiling Light 1950s
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in New York, NY
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce rare lantern pendant ceiling light with brass structure including tapering ivory or cream enameled metal frame and satin or acid-etched glass panel shades...
Metal, Brass
Machine Age Aluminium Floor Lamp, 1930s, USA
By Russel Wright, Gilbert Rohde
Located in St- Leonard, Quebec
Well made Machine Age floor lamp fabricated out of milled aluminium. Solid, sturdy construction. Chocolate brown wrinkle finish. Marble effect glass shade in a warm beige tone with b...
Aluminum