Matta (1912-2002)

David Herbert Gallery, New York
Marlborough Gallery, New York
The Estate of Daniel J. Weitzman, Southampton
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Important Latin American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, November 26, 1985, lot 55, illustrated in color
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, May 28, 2013, lot 27, illustrated in color
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

Southampton, Parrish Art Museum, Art from Southampton Collections, August 4-September 2, 1973

This work is in good condition overall. The canvas is well-stretched and has been lightly lined. The colors are vibrant, and the media layer is stable. Under ultraviolet light examination, scattered minor circular accretions become apparent throughout the composition, concentrated in the upper quadrants of the painting. Areas of inpainting also become apparent in the following areas: a two inch vertical area in the upper central quadrant, a one inch horizontal area at the upper left edge, a two inch horizontal area in the lower center edge, a four inch horizontal area at the lower right edge, and additional minor scattered spots along the lower edge and in the central quadrant, each measuring less than 1/4 inch in diameter.
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.

Dynamic and phantasmal, Earth Rebirth, painted circa 1953, is a captivating example of Matta’s midcentury style. Vibrant green and blue organic forms arise from turbulent machinery in the corners of the composition.  Set apart from the muted background by their vivid pigment, these forms seem to float upwards hopefully, bathed in a soft yellow glow from above. The swirling, violent grey elements move inward around them from all corners as they spring outward in a destabilizing, hallucinatory moment of rebirth. 

Following the Second World War, Matta became fascinated by the possibility of rebirth, of rebuilding a world devastated by conflict. After breaking from the Surrealists in 1948, he departed from the meditation on the subconscious that characterized his Psychological Morphologies, and sought to create work directly connected to the political moment. Matta believed that the role of painting was “shaking the spectators to enable them to get a better grip of reality, of a reality which is not represented because it is life itself.” (1) The present painting, primeval, chaotic, yet filled with hope, embodies this dynamic spirit.

(1) Alain Sayag, "The Liberation of the Spirit," Matta 1911-2011, Valencia, 2011, p. 184