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Roberto Matta
Roberto Antonio Sebastian Matta Echaurren , better known as Roberto Matta, was one of Chile's best-known painters and a seminal figure in 20th century abstract expressionist and surrealist art.
Born in Santiago, he initially studied architecture at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago, but became disillusioned with this occupation and left for Paris in 1933. His travels led him to meet artists such as Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Andre Breton, and Le Corbusier. Matta was of Spanish and French origin.
It was Breton who provided the major spur to the Chilean's direction in art, encouraging his work and introducing him to the leading members of the Paris Surrealist movement. Matta produced illustrations and articles for Surrealist journals such as Minotaure. During this period he was introduced to the work of many prominent contemporary European artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp.
Related websites
Matta, from 1942 to 1957
The Art of Matta
Exhibitions, galleries and museums
Art museum of the Americas (Washington DC) bio page on Matta
Boston College, McMullen Museum of Art: material on 2004 Matta exhibition and catalogue
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Roberto Matta
