“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.
Malitte Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Materials: polyurethane foam; slightly elastic fabric Pugi RG. Upholstery available in different fabrics and colours. Please note ...
Fabric, Foam
Malitte Outdoor Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 The outdoor version of Malitte by Surrealist artist Roberto Matta. Materials: polyurethane for outdoor use, Ginostra fabric by MARI...
Fabric, Foam
Malitte Outdoor Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 The outdoor version of Malitte by Surrealist artist Roberto Matta. Materials: polyurethane for outdoor use, Quercia fabric by MARIA...
Fabric, Foam
Malitte Seating System by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Roberto Matta, Paradisoterrestre
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1966 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 Materials: polyurethane foam; slightly elastic fabric Kvadrat Divina 3 Upholstery available in different fabrics and colours. Plea...
Fabric, Foam
Roberto Matta for Gavina, Modular Sofa, 1966
By Roberto Matta
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Roberto Matta, signed. Gavina, edited by. Modular sofa, “Malitte” model, composed of five seats in thermoformed foam, cut out and covered with black and white woolen cloth. G...
Fabric
$16,000 / set
H 24.81 in W 34.26 in D 35.44 in
Kazuhide Takahama “Marcel” Modular Sofa for Gavina, 1965, Set of 5
By Kazuhide Takahama, Gavina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Kazuhide Takahama “Marcel” Modular Sofa for Gavina, Velvet and Steel, Italy, 1965, set of five. Introducing the "Marcel" modular sofa by Kazu...
Velvet, Foam
$22,800 / set
H 22.45 in W 29.53 in D 29.53 in
Valeria Borsani & Alfredo Bonetti "D120" Modular Sofa for Tecno, 1966, Set of 6
By Tecno, Valeria Borsani & Alfredo Bonetti
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Valeria Borsani & Alfredo Bonetti "D120" modular sofa for Tecno, black leather, 1966, Italy, set of six. Valeria Borsani and Alfredo Bonetti, members of the internal creative team i...
Leather
Modular Sofa and Ottomans for Cassina
By Cassina
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Fully upholstered modular seating system with slab sides, tight seats, and ‘saddle bag’ style back and end cushions. Labeled Cassina under the seats on its metal frame as well as lab...
Metal
$9,074
H 28.75 in W 83.47 in D 30.71 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Off-White Boucle Bastiano Three Seater Sofa for Gavina, 1966
By Gavina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
Designed in 1966 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, the Bastiano sofa is a masterpiece of modern Italian design, combining architectural precision with inviting comfort. This origi...
Bouclé, Walnut
William Andrus Steelcase #465 Soft Seating Sofa
By William Andrus
Located in Pasadena, TX
William Andrus steelcase #465 soft seating sofa Classic early 1970s sofa designed by William C. Andrus for Steelcase Soft Seating Group. The cream ...
Fiberglass, Lucite
$6,049
H 28.75 in W 59.85 in D 30.71 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Off-White Boucle Bastiano Two Seater Sofa for Gavina, 1966
By Gavina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
Mid-Century Modern two-seater Bastiano sofa designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, Italy, 1966. This original piece features a solid walnut frame with clean, architectural lin...
Bouclé, Walnut
$41,871Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 29.14 in W 157.49 in D 118.12 in
Acerbis Free System Sofa by Claudio Salocchi
By Claudio Salocchi, Acerbis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
In 1973, Claudio Salocchi designed Free System: a system of padded furniture deriving from the concept of “operated flooring”, or tatami, where the padded units could be placed freely side by side. With its completely modular and sectional elements and from the perspective of an optimal use of space, we can view Free System as the embodiment of the modern house utopia. A programme of padded furniture that goes beyond the sofa model, Free System presents a series of elements (tatami, pouf and seat with different and interchangeable backrests) that make up a modular system that can be arranged in a variety of combinations. Available elements _ seat module with curved backrest: L100 D100 H74, seat H39 cm; _ seat module with inclined backrest: L100 D100 H74, seat H39 cm; _ pouf module...
Upholstery
$10,284
H 27.96 in W 120.48 in D 29.93 in
George Nelson, Modular Sofa and Table Seating System, 1966 for Herman Miller
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Munster, NRW
George Nelson for Herman Miller, 1960s, United States. Very fine Modular §seater sofa by George Nelson (1908-1986) for Herman Miller. This sofa has a metal frame with square chro...
Steel, Chrome
$4,650Sale Price|25% Off
H 24 in Dm 34 in
1970s MAgriTTA Chair Roberto Matta for Simon Gavina Editions, Italy, 1970
By Simon Gavina Editions, Roberto Matta
Located in Camden, ME
"Roberto Matta designed this chair as a tribute to his friend and fellow surrealist painter René Magritte. The apple and black bowler hat are derived from Magritte's 1946 self-portra...
Foam, Polyester
$14,519 / set
H 28.75 in W 83.47 in D 30.71 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Off-White Boucle Bastiano Living Room Set for Gavina, 1966
By Gavina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
Designed in 1961 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, this rare original Bastiano sofa set embodies the refined balance between architectural structure and luxurious comfort that def...
Bouclé, Walnut
$15,985 / item
H 11.47 in W 37.8 in D 13.95 in
Customizable Tacchini Victoria Modular System by David Nicolas
By Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Price listed for COM Lebanese design duo David/Nicolas are behind this modular system comprising armchairs, corner sofas, chaises longues and ottomans...
Textile
$22,500
H 20 in W 106.5 in D 29.8 in
The Bastiano 4seater sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, Italy 1966
By Gavina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in View Park, CA
The Bastiano 4seater sofa by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, Italy 1966. Hailing from the estate of multihyphenate artist and fashion icon Nadia Lee Cohen, this piece is not for ...
Bouclé, Wood
Sold
H 43 in W 63 in D 25 in
Iconic Knoll International Malitte Lounge Sectional Set by Roberto Matta, 1966
By Roberto Matta, Knoll, Gavina
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Iconic Knoll International Malitte seating sectional set by Roberto Matta, 1960. Roberto Sebastian Matta, who initially trained as an architect in his native Santiago, is best known as an abstract Expressionist and surrealist painter. After completing his studies and moving to Paris, he worked briefly in the studio of famed architect Le Corbusier. His interests soon moved towards painting and he joined the circles of Salvador Dali, André Breton, and René Magritte. Matta later met Dino Gavina, who invited the painter to design a piece of furniture for Gavina SpA. The resulting Malitte Lounge...
Wool