“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.
Noria carpet designed by Roberto Matta, limited edition, 1984
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Noria carpet designed by Roberto Matta and realized in a limited edition for Artcurial in 1984. Two pieces available (AP 9/14 and 10/14). Pure new wool pile. Bibliography Germana M...
Wool
Marilyn Limited Edition Rug Design by Studio Amebe
By Sitap Carpet Couture
Located in Milan, IT
A captivating tribute to Marilyn Monroe's famous scene from The Seven Year Itch where her dress rises up with the wind from the subway grate below, this stunning limited edition rug ...
Textile
Study Rug by Anni Albers, Small, Limited Edition
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This hand-tufted wool rug by Anni Albers is based on the 1926 cotton and silk original, now part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. This timeless design is in a seco...
Wool
Temple Emanu-El by Anni Albers Silk Rug, Limited Edition
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
100% pure silk Measures: 5.6 x 3 feet (1.7 x .9 meters) Edition of 150 Produced in association with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Christopher Farr...
Silk
Geneviève Claisse Design No.76 - Artistic Wool Rug - Limited Edition
By Boccara, Geneviève Claisse
Located in New York, NY
-Limited edition artistic wool rug after Genevie`ve Claisse -Design No.76 -Dimensions: 300 x 300 cm; 118.1 x 118.1 in -Manufactured by Boccara
Wool
Limited Edition Abstract Wool Rug by Moscovino, No. 58/250
Located in Milano, IT
This limited-edition rug by Moscovino, numbered 58 of 250, is a striking example of late 20th-century graphic textile design. Woven entirely from 100% pure wool, the composition feat...
Wool
Small Child's Room Limited Edition Rug by Anni Albers
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
While originally conceived for a child's room by the artist, this bold yet playful rug makes a beautiful statement in any room. One of the most influential textile artists of the 2...
Wool
Homage Gray Instrumentation by Josef Albers Limited Edition Rug
By Josef Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
100% wool rug hand-dyed and hand-tufted 5'9" x 5'9" (1.75 meters x 1.75 meters) printed tag showing edition details and signature edition of 250 Produced in association with the Jos...
Wool
$18,000 / item
W 118.12 in L 118.12 in
Limited Edition by A$AP Rocky GUFRAM X HOMMEMADE Skyline Carpet
By A$AP Rocky, Gufram Furniture
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Gufram presents a bold partnership with HOMMEMADE by A$AP Rocky: SKYLINE CARPET. This innovative and evocative project reimagines the traditional carpet and relaxation space, drawing...
Other
$8,850Sale Price|25% Off
W 64.25 in L 113 in
Himani A Limited Edition Hand Knotted Rug by Baxter, Italy
By Baxter
Located in Boston, MA
Designed by Baxter, Himani is a collection of iconic rugs produced in limited and numbered series. A combination of irregular shapes. Each rug is characterized by a series of contras...
Wool, Linen, Silk
Picasso Limited Edition Artist Rug/Wall hanging by Desso, Netherlands, 1996
By Desso, (after) Pablo Picasso
Located in Buffalo, NY
Picasso limited edition artist rug or Wall hanging by Desso, Netherlands 1996 Based on the work of Pablo Picasso entitled "Le peintre et son...
Wool
Evolution Part I Rug by Illulian Design Studio Limited Edition
By Illulian
Located in Milan, IT
The spectacular and unique design of the limited edition Evolution Part I rug is half traditional and half dynamic contemporary style. The exquisite accessory i...
Wool, Silk
Evolution Part II Rug by Illulian Design Studio Limited Edition
By Illulian
Located in Milan, IT
These unique rug models are customizable in terms of size, colors, shape and composition (percentage of silk compared to the percentage of Himalayan wool or other materials requested...
Silk, Wool