Rebeca Matte Bello
| Rebeca Matte Bello | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
October 29, 1875 Santiago, Chile |
| Died |
May 15, 1929 (aged 53) Paris, France |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Known for | Sculpture |
Rebeca Matte Bello (1875–1929) was a Chilean sculptor. Her sculptures are in the collection of the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, including her sculpture Icarus and Daedalus, which resides outside the museum.[1]
Early life and education
Rebeca Matte, born October 29, 1875 in Santiago, Chile,[2] was the only daughter of Rebecca Reyes and Augusto Matte, an ambassador for Chile. While living in Santiago, she was educated by her grandmother. Matte was exposed to many intellectuals of Chile at the time, including José Victorino Lastarria, Gabriel Jordan Amunátegui, and Alberto Blest Gana. Her father would move to Paris and Matte would be educated in Europe.
In Europe, she first studied in Rome, under Giulio Monteverde. In Paris, she studied at the Julien Academy under Ernest Dubois and Denys Puech. As a young artist, she found influence in the work of Auguste Rodin.[3] She would marry diplomat Pedro Felipe Larrain Iñíguez,[2] and she would give birth to their daughter, Lily Iñíguez Matte. Lily would die in 1926, this grief causing Matte not to sculpt anymore.[2]
Career
In 1908, the Chilean government commissioned a sculpture for the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The piece, installed in 1914, was called The War. The Chilean government continued to commission works from Matte and in 1914 she created Heroes of Concepción,[2] located in Santiago. Matte became a teacher at the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1918.[2]
Later life and death
Matte's daughter, Lily, would be diagnosed with tuberculosis and would die in a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps in 1926.[2] Matte would become depressed over Lily's death, and would cease creating art, focusing on charity work on behalf of her daughter.[2] Matte died, in Paris, on May 14, 1929.[2]
In 1929, after her death, her husband donated Icarus and Daedalus to the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts. The piece, a copy of the original which was commissioned by the government of Chile as a gift to the country of Brazil and is on public display in Rio de Janeiro, was placed outside of the museum in 1930. An award, named after Matte, was created in 1922 by the Chilean Ministry of Education for notable Chilean sculptors.
Notable works
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- Horacio, 1910, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts
- The Echo, 1912, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts
- Icarus and Daedalus, 1922, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts[1]
- Le spectre de la Guerre, commissioned 1908, installed 1914, Peace Palace garden, The Hague, The Netherlands (a gift from the Chilean government to the Peace Palace)
References
- 1 2 "Arts and Literature in Chile". Chile Culture. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Matte Bello, Rebecca (1875 - 1929)". Personales de nuestra historia. Nuestro Chile. Retrieved March 17, 2012. (In Spanish)
- ↑ Tim Burford (1 June 2005). Chile: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-84162-076-3. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
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