Eduardo Paolozzi is famed for his individual visual language, which transcends cultural, traditional and artistic boundaries. Nowhere is this more apparent or potently expressed than in his treatment of the figure and in particular the portrait. Unabashed by traditional conations of portraiture Paolozzi dismembers his subjects, carefully dissecting their facial features and then reassembling and rebuilding them to create a scarred and diffracted vision. Paolozzi saw that this was an essential paradox in art: that destruction must come before creation. This belief was a popular concept in modernism and was echoed in the Nietzchian overtones in Boccioni’s Futurist sculptures and in the work of the German Dadaists who created art out of chaos and nihilism. Paolozzi emphasised this need to first destroy before one can create when defining the meaning of the word collage, he explained, ‘The word collage is inadequate as a description because the concept should include ‘damage erase, destroy, deface and transform all parts of a metaphor for the creative act itself.’(op. cit., p.20) Indeed we can see a correlation between Paolozzi’s approach to collage and sculpture, both incorporating elements of overlapping and building up of separate fractures to create a complete picture. This can be seen in the Portrait of Matta where an intricate network of geometric and biomorphic elements combine to create an unusual dissection of the human form, which seemingly serves to unveil the inner workings of the sitter portrayed.

Portrait of Matta undoubtedly draws from modernist movements, most notably citing Cubism and Surrealism as a source of inspiration, however Paolozzi’s art also bares reference to traditional art referencing the mutilated ancient Greek carvings of fragmented heads of Gods and heroes, which he saw in the Glyptothek in Munich, where he would often go to draw whilst living in Germany. Paolozzi’s interest in the dissection of form also stems from his curiosity of the mechanic and the machination of mankind, a topic which would fascinate him throughout his life. This is explored in the present work, with Paolozzi investigating the relationship between man and machine and examining the changing face of man in the modern world. Here we see the interplay between skin and machine, unsure where one begins and one ends, Paolozzi described this process as, ‘flesh marred by object or object masquerading as flesh.’( op. cit., p.20).

This idea of dialogue is paramount to Paolozzi’s art and is what continues to engage people years after its creation. Conversation and debate were important to the artist who co-founded the Independent Group in London in 1952-1953, in order to challenge the prevailing modernist approach to culture. This group consisted of painters, sculptors, architects, writers and critics and has become regarded as the precursor to the Pop Art movement in Britain and the United States. Meeting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) they strove to re-address modernism and the idea of high culture as opposed to mass culture, whilst introducing the "as found" or "found object" aesthetic. It is believed that it is here where Paolozzi met Roberto Matta, the Chilean painter who exhibited his work at the ICA and on whom the present lot is based.