MATTA | Geyser de la mémoire

Acquired by the present owner in 2012

This large work is well-stretched on a good stretcher. There is a small scuff on the right edge about 12 inches from the upper right corner. No old restorations are visible to the naked eye. Under ultraviolet light, a thin line of dots corresponding to retouches can be seen in the upper left corner, as well as two or three spots in the center of the left side. There does not seem to be any other restoration. The work is in beautiful condition. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Throughout the canvases Matta painted over the fifty-plus years of his post-New York career, certain visual ideas appear repeatedly. He evokes an endless, shifting space that conveys a palpable level of movement throughout the field. He manipulates pigments so that, both in color and in the means of application, they conjure up vaporous, unearthly spaces, the metallic shine of a machine piece, or the excessive brilliance and tone sickened by technological disaster. He conveys themes of mythological significance, futuristic warfare, and tales of phantasmic creatures undersea, in the universe of unknown worlds. Finally, although many of his paintings are incomprehensible in precise terms, the created effect imparts a blending of the conscious and unconscious, the literal and the imaginary, that rarely fails to unsettle the viewer."  -Mary Schneider Enríquez, "Roberto Matta: International Provocateur," in Matta: Making the Invisible Visible (exhibition catalogue), Chicago, 1994, p. 37-38