ROBERTO MATTA | Sans Titre

Anne Alpert, New York
Paul Haïm, Paris
Galerie Malingue, Paris (acquired from the above)
Private collection, Europe (acquired from the above)
Private collection, France (acquired in 2005)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Bochum, Museum Bochum, Matta, Zeichnungen 1937-1988, 1988, listed no. 5
Paris, Galerie de France, Matta, dessins 1936-1989, 1990, no. 6 illustrated in the catalogue np.
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung; Vienna, Kunsthaus, Matta, 1991-92, no. 52, illustrated in the catalogue np.
Beverly Hills, Latin American Masters; Mexico, Galería López Quiroga, Roberto Matta, Paintings and Drawings 1937-1959, 1997, no. 1, illustrated in the catalogue
Barcelona, Fundació Caixa Catalunya & Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Matta, 1999, illustrated in the catalogue p. 56
Paris, Galerie Malingue, Matta 1936-1944, Début d'un nouveau monde, 2004, illustrated in the catalogue p. 60/61

Germana Ferrari, Matta, Entretiens morphologiques, Notebook no. 1 1936-1944, London, 1987, illustrated p. 50

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount along the upper edge with tape and floating in its mount. The sheet is slightly undulating. There are pinholes at all four edges. There is a tiny repaired loss to the upper right corner and a diagonnal repaired tear to the upper left corner. There is another small repaired tear (approx. 0.5 cm long) running vertically from the centre of the upper edge, with an associated repaired paper loss at the rim. There are a few minor creases in places, most predominately along the extreme edges. There are some small dots of paper skinning in places, notably to the right part of the upper edge, and a few nicks and scuffs along the extreme edges. There is some paper skinning, related to previous mounting, along the extreme edges of the verso. The sheet is light stained with some mount staining, most predominately along the upper edge. This work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"I discovered with surprise […] his fascinating drawings made with coloured pencils, absolutely extraordinary landscapes, people with distorted nudes, strange architectures and vegetation […] When I left the room I was another man."
Gordon Onslow-Ford, about his first meeting with Matta in 1937 (in Towards a New Subject in Painting, 1948)