Guillermo Matta began his formal art education in 1941 at the Vocational Educational and Art Studies in Santiago, Chile, where he studied until 1946. His training included regular afternoon classes in drawing, tempera, ceramics, and basic sculpture. From 1947 to 1951, he continued his studies at the Experimental School of Art and Education, an institution authorized by the Board of Education as a Junior High School. In addition to the regular junior high courses, Matta studied watercolors, acrylics, oil painting, engraving on copper plates, and woodcut printing.
Throughout his career, Matta participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. From 1957 to 1961, he exhibited his work as part of the South Group of Art in Chile. Between 1956 and 1963, Matta took art classes with renowned Chilean artists Francisco Otta, Israel Roa Villagra, and Mario Carreño, Cuban artista from the group "Rectangulo."
In 1966 and 1967, Guillermo Matta, a realtive of the famed artist Roberto Matta studied at the Art League of New York, located on West 57th Street in Manhattan. From 1967 to 1983, he participated in several limited group exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. He was also involved in art shows in San Francisco, San Jose, Alameda, Santa Cruz, and Oakland, California, from 1964 to 1979.
Between 1984 and 1987, Matta held solo exhibitions in Colombia, followed by two solo shows in Tennessee from 1986 to 1988. From 2004 to 2006, Matta collaborated with two other artists in exhibitions in Wynwood, Miami, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale, as well as in museums in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. From 2006 to 2024, he continued to hold solo and small group exhibitions across the USA, Mexico, Colombia, France, Germany, and Sweden.
Guillermo Matta's artistic journey began at an early age, studying at the Vocational School of Art from 1941 to 1946, followed by the Experimental School of Artistic Education in Santiago from 1946 to 1951. His expressive works were first embraced by the Chilean public in 1957, and he exhibited his art in several art fairs throughout Chile. Over time, Matta developed an impressive list of successful solo and group exhibitions in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the USA.
From the outset, Matta's paintings stood out for their powerful and daring confrontations of surreal color compositions, intricate layers of paint, and passionate geometric appearances. His work was characterized by intense energy and exceptional talent, particularly in the areas of architectural drawing and construction.
Since 1961, Matta has worked with oil and acrylic paints on canvas and paper. Drawing inspiration from everyday life, especially subjects related to architecture and engineering, Matta has created works that resonate with dynamic energy and depth. His use of geometric relations between horizontal and vertical lines, combined with rich color fields, invites the viewer into a playful interaction with depth and proportion.
Matta's surrealist style incorporates the techniques of great abstract artists such as Mark Rothko, Bruce Nauman, John Miró, Wassily Kandinsky, Mark Klee, and Piet Mondrian. His abstract works are marked by an intense layering of color that engages the viewer, drawing them into a world where transparency, energy, and form interact in powerful ways. The paintings exude an authentic, bold intensity that captivates and moves audiences worldwide.