Roberto Matta | the artist

Known for his compelling, dream-like rendering of space, Matta was born in Chile in 1912. Originally he was trained in his native country as an architect and interior designer. He left for Paris in 1932 to work as a draftsman in the Paris studio of Le Corbousier. Through a letter of introduction from Frederico Garcia Lorca he met Salvador Dali, who suggested he show his drawings to Andre Breton. Matta joined the Surrealists in 1937, and exhibited in the major international Surrealist exhibit that opened in Paris in 1938.

Chilean-born painter, printmaker and draughtsman, best known for his SURREALIST work.

His works in the MOMA collection

Known for his compelling, dream-like rendering of space, Matta was born in Chile in 1912. Originally he was trained in his native country as an architect and interior designer. He left for Paris in 1932 to work as a draftsman in the Paris studio of Le Corbousier. Through a letter of introduction from Frederico Garcia Lorca he met Salvador Dali, who suggested he show his drawings to Andre Breton. Matta joined the Surrealists in 1937, and exhibited in the major international Surrealist exhibit that opened in Paris in 1938. Because of the ominous threat of war, Matta left for New York in 1938—and produced his strongest works ever. Although a relative latecomer to Surrealism, Matta’s eerie depictions of inner space highly influenced pivotal Abstract Expressionist painters such as Arshile Gorky and Robert Motherwell…

Works in the TATE Gallery