Roberto Matta (1911-2002). Angry Head. Oil and pastel on canvas. 48 x 33 inches (121.9 x 83.8 cm). Signed with artist's ...

Description

Roberto Matta (1911-2002)
Angry Head
Oil and pastel on canvas
48 x 33 inches (121.9 x 83.8 cm)
Signed with artist's cypher and titled lower right: angry head

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Private collection, acquired from the above, 1967;
Sotheby's, New York, September 25, 1980, lot 87 (erroneously noted on the certificate as lot 4418);
Lawrence Saphire, New York;
Private collection, by descent from the above.

NOTE:
This work is registered in the Archives de l'Oeuvre de Matta, Tarquinia/Paris under number 70/172, and is accompanied by a photo-certificate of authenticity signed and dated by Germana Ferrari Matta, December 11, 1996.

The lot is also accompanied by correspondence between art dealer Lawrence Saphire and Roberto and Germana Matta discussing a possible earlier date for the painting.

Counted among the great Surrealist painters, Roberto Matta's career transcends defined artistic genre, creating a space as unique and undefined as his own work, and exerting significant influence on later movements.

Matta first established himself as a Surrealist, drawn to the concept of automatic composition and to the biomorphic forms exhibited by his contemporaries, Yves Tanguy and André Masson. While he never lost his passion for expressing the intricacies of the human psyche, he was never able to fully divorce himself from his strong social conscience.

As his career progressed, he ultimately broke away from the typical introspective conventions of Surrealism, incorporating elements of social and political awareness into his work. He further augmented their aesthetic of unadulterated abstraction, adding figural passages to his complex three-dimensional spaces.

Matta's concept of space defied tradition, casting aside a singular focal point in favor of what he called "the central knot of perception," where the eye lands at the center of colliding planes of perspective. This practice lent a unique dynamism to his compositions, with forms enjoying an ambiguous relationship with the space surrounding them that borders on the fantastical.

The forms themselves, expanding the entities of Tanguy and Masson, appear as amalgamations of human, mechanical, and insectoid figures. These bodies grow noticeably more alien throughout the 1950s and 60s, as Matta reacted to the burgeoning age of space exploration. The present work echoes the tenets that Matta established in his "Social Morphologies" of the 1940s and 50s, a series produced in response to the horrors of World War II. The series marked his transition into figural work, which he described as stemming from a "growing concern with humankind," even as the figures themselves extend beyond humanity.

Angry Head presents just such a figure, whose cyclopic eye, rows of breasts, and tendon-like antennae form an almost Lovecraftian being of indeterminable species and uneasily ambiguous intent.


More information about Roberto Matta. See also: Matta, Roberto, Roberto Matta Echaurren, Robert Matta Artist.

*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders. Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report. Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames. All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.