ROBERTO MATTA

Born in Santiago, Chile in 1911, Matta would become an influential member of the surrealist movement, associating with figures like André Breton in the 1940s. Matta’s early interest in giving visual form to what he termed ‘psychological morphologies’ was transformed by World War II, the Cold War, and Augusto Pinochet’s 1973 coup in Chile. Those events and their aftermaths catalysed Matta to take a more politically minded approach to painting. The artist once said, ‘I believe that before anything else we need an image of society, an image of economics, to help us to see where we are. Just as we need to refer to maps to locate ourselves in space, we have to find a way of depicting our position in history.’

Pace’s presentation of Matta’s mid-and late-career work in Palm Beach will shed light on his mature style. Through his unique, imaginative vision, the artist parsed big questions centring on the origins of human consciousness, the arc of human history, and the makeup of vast, unknowable universes beyond the Earth. Often cited as a critical influence on the development of the New York School, Matta combined figuration and abstraction to explore spiritual and fantastical subjects related to human interiority and cosmic landscapes. The paintings included in the gallery’s upcoming exhibition reflect his ability to imbue two-dimensional scenes with a sense of dynamic movement and illimitable depth.