Volcanic Matta

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Paintings by Matta are outbreaks of bright colors mixed with indefinable forms which may be mineral. Can we speak of abstraction? The artist from the Surrealist group provides a synthesis of earth and man, of the fury of the elements and that of thought.

In 1942 he exhibited in New York at Pierre Matisse gallery some artworks inspired by the volcanoes of Mexico, a country he had visited the previous year. Endless Nudes, oil on canvas 72 x 91 cm, expresses the explosive rise of lava to a stormy sky, with a title that links with mankind and psychology.

In May 2003, Christie's recorded $ 1.5 million hammer price on Endless Nudes. On November 18, the work comes back, at Sotheby's in New York. It is becoming more expensive: $ 2 million, but it is one of the masterpieces of the artist.

The image of this lot is shared by AuctionPublicity.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

I expected a successful sale, and I had hinted it in the last words of my article.

This is the case: $ 2.5 million including premium, just above the low estimate.