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Roberto Matta Furniture

Chilean, 1911-2002

“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.

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Creator: Roberto Matta
1970s MAgriTTA Chair Roberto Matta for Simon Gavina Editions, Italy, 1970
By Roberto Matta, Simon Gavina Editions
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...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Foam, Polyester

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.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Brass

Margarita Bronze Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971 with the aim of adapting in a surprising way the surrealist object to daily use. Margarita was cast in bronze the first time to fix an idea: it is a petrol can, opened up like a daisy, a barrel turned into a tribal throne. Almost 50 years after the first prototypes and the very few works produced by Simon International, the re-edition of Margarita in the historical bronze...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Bronze

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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

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 Kvadrat Divina 3 Upholstery available in different fabrics and colours. Plea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

L'origine è adesso vase by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
L’origine è adesso by Roberto Matta is a vase created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in a lim...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Alidor resin armchair by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Between art and design, the Alidor armchair by Surrealist artist Roberto Matta has a resin structure and a biomorphic cushion. Limited edition 25/1000 with engraved number and artis...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Resin

Farfallacqua by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Farfallacqua by Roberto Matta is an umbrella stand created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in ...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Originil vase by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Originil by Roberto Matta is a vase created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in a limited editi...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Roberto Matta, Aquatint, 1970s "Come detta dentro vo significado" No35
By Roberto Matta
Located in Stockholm, SE
Robero Matta ( Chille 1911-2002), aquatint VI/VI no 35 from "Come detta dentro vo significado". Signed Matta. Framed. in good condition. Paper with smaller signs of age and wear.
Category

1960s Chilean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

Roberto Matta for Gavina “Malitte” Modular Seating System
By Gavina, Roberto Matta
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Included in the permanent collection of MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City: "Malitte is a seating system, an ever-changing composition of f...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Textile, Foam

Sacco Alato Bronze Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971 with the aim of adapting in a surprising way the surrealist object to daily use. Sacco Alato was born in foundry while making Margarita, casting a bag of concrete and splitting it in two. Lacking any other props, the big road rocks provided the feet for this seat/sculpture. Almost 50 years after the first prototypes and the very few works produced by Simon International, the re-edition of Sacco Alato in the historical...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Le Verbo Hommérica folder with 6 signed and numbered etchings by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Le Verbo Hommérica by Roberto Matta is a folder with 6 signed and numbered etchings on Japon nacré paper Edition: 100 copies numbered from 1 to 100 + 35 HC numbered I-XXV L’Inédite...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

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...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chilean Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric

Don Qui folder with 15 color + 10 black and white lithographs by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Don Qui by Roberto Matta is a folder with 15 color + 10 black and white lithographs Edition: 100 copies Sistan, Lugano; 1985 In the text that accompanies the Don Qui lithographs...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

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 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Hom'mère - N'où's folder with 20 etchings by Roberto Matta
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...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

Margarita Aluminium Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Sacco Alato Aluminium Armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Designed in 1971 - Paradisoterrestre Edition 2019 This “functional work of art” represents in an exemplary way the concept of Ultramobile, operation conceived by Dino Gavina in 1971...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Amatta armchair by Roberto Matta Paradisoterrestre Edition 2024
By Paradisoterrestre, Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Amatta is a resin armchair with sinuous, fluid, soft and rounded lines, created in 1974 by Roberto Matta. He cuddled up in the Amatta and shaped it through his own body. The armcha...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Resin

El Zuni by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
El Zuni by Roberto Matta is a ceramic plate created at Bottega Gatti (Faenza, IT) in 1995 in a limited edition of 120 pieces. Roberto Matta tries to get to the origin of things with...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Foam

Qui d'Eux folder with 10 color lithographs and a text by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Qui d’Eux by Roberto Matta is a folder with 10 color lithographs on Vélin d’Arches 270 gr paper and a text by Matta Edition: 100 signed and numbered copies from 1 to 100 + XV copies...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

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...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Musik-Foot artist’s book with 8 lithographs by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Musik-Foot by Roberto Matta is an artist’s book with 8 lithographs. Edition: 100 + XXV La Bezuga, Florence; 1990 Artist’s book with hard cover and collage. Printed entirely on han...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

El Verbo America folder with 6 color lithographs by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
El Verbo America by Roberto Matta is a folder with 6 color lithographs on Arches paper Edition: 100 copies from 1 to 100 + XXV H.C. La Bezuga, Florence; 1987 “Seeing the Word that...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Paper

Homosmusa ceramic vase by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Homosmusa by Roberto Matta is a vase created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in a limited edit...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

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...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Innaffiare il linguaggio vase by Roberto Matta
By Roberto Matta
Located in Ozzano Dell'emilia, IT
Innaffiare il linguaggio by Roberto Matta is a bowl created at Bottega Gatti on the occasion of the exhibition “C’Era Mica Matta” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Faenza (IT) in 1992 in...
Category

1990s Italian Roberto Matta Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

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Chair by Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta, 1970
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Litrography / Roberto Matta
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Located in COYOACAN, DF
He was born in the Chilean capital on November 11, 1911 (11.11.11), a figure that he would frequently use in his artistic career. He was one of the four children of Roberto Matta Tagle and Mercedes Echaurren Herboso, people with great social roots and economic resources in the Chile of his time. He studied at the College of the Sacred Hearts of Santiago; Back then, he was a neighbor of Nemesio Antúnez. In those years he also began to stand out with his notes on drawing and calligraphy. Like his brothers, Mario and Sergio, who were a furniture designer and fashion designer, respectively, he received a profound aesthetic influence from his maternal grandfather, Víctor Echaurren, who - in an amateur way - was a designer of stage plays and operas. His family was of Basque-French origin. In the early 1930s, he participated in some demonstrations against the dictator Carlos Ibáñez del Campo; likewise, he performed military service in the "Coraceros Regiment" of Viña del Mar, repressing the demonstrations in which he had previously participated, which caused him great anti-military sentiment. The first goal of the Chilean people, the work of Matta in conjunction with the Ramona Parra Brigade. Roberto Matta, Three Figures, 1958, M. T. Abraham Center for Visual Arts. She completed her university studies at the School of Architecture of the Catholic University of Chile, her title thesis being a project called The League of Religions, which consisted of sketches of buildings in the shape of a woman in various positions.6 At the same time, she attended workshops free at the School of Fine Arts, being a student of the painter Hernán Gazmuri, who had been arriving from France. In addition, he worked as an illustrator in the satirical magazine Topaze. He graduated as an architect in 1935. Subsequently, he traveled to Europe on a merchant ship. While in Portugal, he met Gabriela Mistral, who was consul in that country. The poet helped Matta, who lived in her house for three months. According to the painter, during that time he fell in love with Mistral, even asking for her hand, but the poet did not accept. During his stay in Paris he worked in the studio of the architect Le Corbusier, whom he met thanks to Roberto Dávila. According to the historian Hernán Marchant, the relationship between Matta and Le Corbusier was characterized by “much admiration, but with some rivalry.” On the old continent, he also met the artists André Breton, Salvador Dalí, Arshile Gorky and René Magritte. It was Breton who encouraged the Chilean artist, valued his work and introduced him to the circle of the main members of the Parisian surrealist movement. Matta produced illustrations and articles for the surrealist newspaper Minotaure. During this period he became friends with prominent European contemporary artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. A decisive moment for Matta's artistic career occurred in 1938, when he went from drawing to oil painting, for which he is very famous. This period coincided with his travel and residence, until 1948, in the United States. His first paintings, among which Night Invasion stood out, gave an indication of the artistic route taken by the painter. The use of diffuse light patterns and thick lines on top of a particular background became one of its hallmarks. During the 1940s and 1950s, his painting reflected the disturbing state of international politics, using images of electric machines and tormented people. By adding clay to his works, from the 1960s onward, he added dimension to his distortion. Matta's work added new dimensions to contemporary painting, despite his break - for unknown reasons - with the Surrealist movement in 1947. Despite being reinstated in 1959, his fame earned is exclusively personal. He experienced different forms of artistic expression, including video productions such as Système 88, photography, and other means of expression. In 1985 he received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, in 1990 he received the National Art Prize; in 1992, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts and in 1995 he obtained the Praemium Imperiale in the category of Painting. He lived regularly since the 1960s in the Italian town of Tarquinia, located north of Rome, making sporadic trips to his country. During the 1960s he ventured into furniture design after meeting the Italian designer Dino Gavina, creating in 1966 the "Malitte Lounge...
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20th Century Chilean Modern Roberto Matta Furniture

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Litrography / Roberto Matta
Litrography / Roberto Matta
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Magritta Chair by Roberto Sebastian Matta
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'Malitte' Seating Arrangement by Roberto Sebastian Matta for Gavina
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Roberto Matta furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Roberto Matta furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of fabric and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Roberto Matta furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 10 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 5 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Roberto Matta were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Ariberto Colombo, I.S.A. Italy, and Giulio Moscatelli. Prices for Roberto Matta furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,300 and can go as high as $27,526, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,200.
Questions About Roberto Matta Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Roberto Matta is a painter who became a noted part of the Surrealist movement. Born Roberto Antonio Sebastian Matta Echaurren in 1922 in Santiago, Chile, the artist began his professional life as an architect and slowly switched to painting. His work often featured complex biomorphic forms in disturbing settings, making him an important influence in the post World War II era. Shop a selection of Roberto Matta pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Chilean-born Roberto Matta is a modern art painter primarily known for his work in blending surrealism with abstract expressionism. You can shop a selection of expertly vetted Fairfield Porter pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.

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