ROBERTO MATTA: Les Terres

The exhibition highlights a series of works created with naturally pigmented earths applied on burlap. A major artist of the 20th century, Roberto Matta is, in the words of Marcel Duchamp, "the most profound painter of his generation." A tireless traveler, it is through his exploration of the world that one must seek the origins of the Terres and this singular painting technique. Matta notably became aware of the "terrifying power of the earth" during a trip to Mexico alongside Robert Motherwell and Ann Clark in 1941. Carrying history, earth becomes a particularly meaningful language element for Matta.

The series produced between the 1950s and 1970s not only echoes Roberto Matta's travels and origins, but also his ideological and philosophical commitments. Starting from the observation that painting had moved away from its political vocation, to the point of becoming a simple decorative object, Roberto Matta decided to awaken consciousness in order to initiate change.