“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 "Look At The Heart Of The World" Circa 1965 Etching 2/50
By Roberto Matta
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roberto Matta (Chilean, 1911–2002) Look At The Heart Of The World (Vois Au Coeur Du Monde), circa 1965 Etching with aquatint, with hand-applied color accents, the composition present...
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Original Antique Map of The World by Dower, circa 1835
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Nice map of the World Drawn and engraved by J.Dower Published by Orr & Smith. C.1835 Unframed. Free shipping
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$796Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 28 in W 8 in D 0.5 in
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Copper Enameled Wall Plaques, circa 1965
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous pair of Mid-Century Modern Sculptural wall plaques. Modern day couple in three sections each. Copper enamel panels mounted on walnut. In excellent vintage condition with min...
Copper, Enamel
19th Century Embroidered Silk Panel Map Of The World
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and visually striking framed antique European embroidered silk panel. Exquisitely hand-crafted in Continental Europe in the 19th ...
Silk, Thread
Roberto Matta Hom'mère - N'où's folder with 20 etchings, 1985
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Hom’mère – N’où’s by Roberto Matta is a folder with 10 etchings on Arches paper + 10 etchings on Japòn paper Edition: 100 signed and numbered copies from 1 to 100 + XXV H.C. Sista...
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$446Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.6 in W 20.32 in D 0 in
Original Engraved Antique Map of the World, Colorful and Decorative, C.1780
By Pierre François Tardieu
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique map titled 'Mappemonde en Deux Hemispheres ou l'on a Indique les Nouvelles Decouvertes' - This handsome double hemisphere map presents a ...
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50 of the World's Best Apartments Coffee Table Book
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Is apartment living the way of the future? According to some, it's the only way to live. For most apartment-dwellers, beautiful views, functional floor plans, low maintenance and convenient, inner-city locations far outweigh the attributes of the traditional quarter-acre suburban block. This book presents, through text, superb floor photographs and floor plans, 50 of the best apartments from around the world. Focusing on fabulous interiors, this book is a digest of the myriad ways to fit out spaces that often begin as concrete shells, but are transformed, through the talents of the best interior architects and designers, into luxurious penthouses, funky lofts, hip apartments, sleek bachelor pads and sumptuous family homes. An inspiring sourcebook for all lovers of beautiful interiors. Title Fifty of the World's Best Apartments Editor Robyn Beaver...
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Antique Print of the Court at the Palace of Monte Cavallo, Rome
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'De groote Plaets van het Pauslyk Paleis te Monte Cavallo (..)'. This print originates from 'Hedendaagsche historie van, en reis-boek door Italien'. Amst., M. de...
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Antique Print of Susanna at the Bath by Bouillard 'c.1800'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Sussanne au Bain'. Original antique print of Susanna at the bath. This print originates from the series 'Galerie du Palais Royal', a set published between 1786 ...
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Large Original Antique Map of The World, Fullarton, C.1870
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Great map of the World. Showing both hemispheres From the celebrated Royal Illustrated Atlas Lithograph. Original color. Published by Fullarton, Edinburgh, C.1870 Unframed. Rep...
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$1,800
H 17 in W 25.5 in D 1 in
Roberto Gigli, "View of the Hercules Victor Temple at the Forum Boarium"
By Roberto Gigli
Located in Belmont, MA
Roberto Gigli (Italian, 1846-1922), “View of the Hercules Victor Temple at the Forum Boarium”, watercolor, signed lower right. The Forum Boarium was th...
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$285Sale Price|20% Off
H 17.92 in W 14.18 in D 0.02 in
Antique Print of the World's Time Zones by Johnson, 1872
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'A Diagram exhibiting the difference of time between the places shown & Washington'. Original print of the World's time zones. This map originates from 'Johnson'...
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Art At Auction The Year At Sotheby's 1980-1981
By Sotheby's
Located in valatie, NY
Art At Auction The Year At Sotheby's 1980-1981, by Sotheby's. Published by Sotheby Publications, 1981. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. This annual reference work provides a view o...
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