Roberto Matta
"I’m not really a painter. I’m only interested in learning the technique of painting to demonstrate my ideas."
Roberto Matta (1911-2002) was the most famous Chilean artist, recognized for his unique fusion of Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism. He graduated from the Catholic University of Santiago in 1932 with a degree in Architecture and Interior Design before moving to Paris to work in Le Corbusier. (Read More)
While traveling throughout Europe, Matta was introduced to Salvador Dalí in Madrid, Spain. His friendship with Dalí, opened the door for new possibilities and he was encouraged by Dalí to show his drawings to one of the founders of Surrealism: Andre Breton.
Matta completely abandoned architecture by 1936 and started pursuing a career as an artist.
Once connected to the Surrealist movement in 1937, he created works with new dimensions, organic forms and an added element of social and political critique. This sociopolitical commentary in his work caused for him to break from the typical canon of Surrealist ideas. While Matta did follow many of the same Surrealist themes like automatism, the blend of abstract expressionism allowed him to explore his subconscious thoughts through evolving spaces and figures.
Matta is considered to be one of the great masters of Surrealism and a major force in the advancement of Abstract Expressionism. Notable artists that were influenced by Matta include Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Peter Busa. Contemporary Marcel Duchamp considered Matta to be “the profoundest painter of his generation.”
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Important Exhibitions
2006 San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California, USA
2003 Robert Matta: Architect of Surrealism, Art Museum of the Americas, Washington D.C, USA
2001 Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California, USA
1999 Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain
1989 Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile
1985 Centre Georges Pomidou, Paris, France
1974 Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, México
1967 Museé National d’Art Moderne, Paris, France
1958 Matta, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusettes, USA
1957 Matta, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Matta, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA
1954 Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
1950 Matta, Museum of Art, San Francisco, California, USA
1948 International Biennial Art Exhibition, Venice, Italy
1947 The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
1941 The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, USA
Permanent Collections
Center Pompidou, Paris, France
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain
Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, USA
The Metropolitian Museum of Art, New York, USA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, USA
Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tate Britain, London, England