Private Collection, London
Sale: Sotheby's, London, Post War and Contemporary Art, June 30, 1988, lot 659
Sale: Christies, New York, Important Latin American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, November 19, 1991, lot 44, illustrated
Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

This painting is in beautiful condition. It has never been removed from its original stretcher. The paint layer is clean and possibly very lightly varnished. The painting does not appear to have been recently cleaned and it may very well be in its original condition. The only possible retouch is in the lower left corner in the red, where a small spot of what appears to be restoration has been applied. The picture should be hung as is. (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.

The year 1948 marked a turbulent year for the peripatetic artist Matta who was unceremoniously expelled from the Surrealists group for abandoning abstraction and exploring an increasingly narrative and sociopolitical context in his work. Thus, after a 🌠nearly decade long and highly productive sojourn in New York, Matta returned to Paris briefly only to encounter equal scorn from the artistic and social milieu that had previously embraced his unique vision and spirited lifestyle. Indeed, at this juncture in Matta's life and career the artist had seemingly and irretrievably breached certain aesthetic and moral codes and in the process ruptured a number of significant relationships on both sides of the Atlantic. Devastated by these events, Matta traveled to Chile and later that year settled in Rome where he would remain until 1955 before again returning to Paris.

Sans Titre was painted amidst these dramatic circumstances in 1948. While it undoubtedly incorporates a number of elements that by the late 1940s had become hallmarks of Matta's unique style and approach to biomorphic abstraction, the conflation of the human body with the natural landscape coupled with the presence of overtly sexualized imagery unabashedly assert Matta's belief in the continuum of natural phenomena and his vision of the earth as an erotically-charged mass of energy in perpetual transformation and regeneration. In keeping with the language of his biomorphic landscapes, here Matta evokes a diaphanous topography set against a gelatinous white background that suggests an infinite and ineffable cosmos. Black orthogonal lines along with sensuous red mountainous peaks and valleys create an illusion of three-dimensionality while an elongated, white female torso languidly spills across the full length of terrain mirroring its contours and producing a decidedly erotic effect. Matta's volcanic imagery first employed in the early 1940s proceeding his trip to Mexico in 1941, reappear here in the guise of fiery pulsating bosom, while the nebulous skies above reveal a bright yellow piercing form that suggest the electrical discharge of lightning or the ejaculation of bodily fluids. Together these elements reveal a primordial landscape in which human and cosmic elements are seamlessly interconnected and one is equated with the other. Although somewhat unusual for its exceedingly direct reference to figurative elements, Sans Titre eloquently expresses Matta's understa🍎nding of the natural world—a holistic view that echoes that of Amerindian cultures and other ancient civilizations that the artist had studied closely.

Indeed it is difficult to observe the highly overt figurative references in this painting without pondering the personal and professional circumstances that besieged Matta in 1948. While it is unquestionable that from 1945 onwards, Matta's work took on an increasingly different mood and social relevance in which the figure became more central, it is equally true that the artist never completely abandoned representational elements in his work. And thus, the motives for his separation from the Surrealists group demands further consideration. By the mid-1940's Matta had become a lightning rod of contention among the Surrealists, but perhaps it was the salacious events of 1948 involving Matta and abstract expressionist painter Archille Gorky's wife, Agnes Magruder (aka Mougouch) followed by Gorky's suicide a few months later—a tragedy that many felt had been prompted by the illicit affair—what seems to have sealed Matta's fate among the New York School and the Parisian Surrealists. The centrality of the female figure in Sans Titre may be seen as a reference to these events, but it would be a mistake to limit the painting's meaning to such a literal interpretation. However, what remains clear is that here as in elsewhere throughout his long and prodigious career, Matta remained steadfast to his cre✅ative vision—one that resonated with aspects of Surrealism but reflected a decidedly innovative and unique approach. The latter not only solidified his position as one of the most fascinating and compelling artists of his generation but also continues to define his unique contribution to the history of mo🥃dern vanguard art practices during the first half of the twentieth century.

--Marysol Nieves
Independent curator based in New York