Rebeca Matte Bello facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rebeca Matte Bello
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Oil on canvas by Vittorio Matteo Corcos
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| Born | October 29, 1875 |
| Died | May 15, 1929 (aged 53) Paris, France
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| Nationality | Chilean |
| Known for | Sculpture |
Rebeca Matte Bello (born October 29, 1875 – died May 15, 1929) was a famous Chilean sculptor. Many of her beautiful sculptures are kept at the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts. One of her most well-known works, Icarus and Daedalus, stands right outside the museum.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Rebeca Matte was born on October 29, 1875, in Santiago, Chile. She was the only daughter of Rebecca Reyes and Augusto Matte. Her father, Augusto, was an ambassador for Chile. An ambassador is like a special representative for their country in another country.
While she was young and living in Santiago, her grandmother taught her many things. Rebeca met many smart people in Chile at that time, like José Victorino Lastarria and Alberto Blest Gana. Later, her father moved to Paris, and Rebeca continued her education in Europe.
In Europe, she first studied art in Rome with a teacher named Giulio Monteverde. Then, in Paris, she went to the Académie Julian. There, she learned from famous sculptors like Paul Dubois and Denys Puech. When she was a young artist, she was inspired by the work of Auguste Rodin.
Rebeca married a diplomat named Pedro Felipe Larrain Iñíguez. They had a daughter named Lily Iñíguez Matte. Sadly, Lily passed away in 1926. This great sadness made Rebeca stop creating sculptures.
Her Career as a Sculptor
In 1899, Rebeca showed a statue called "Horace" at the Salon in Paris. This artwork showed the strong physical and mental feelings linked to an epileptic seizure.
In 1908, the Chilean government asked her to create a sculpture for the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This court helps countries solve problems peacefully.
Rebeca Matte showed two more works at the 1913 Salon d'Automne. One was a bust (a sculpture of a head and shoulders) of an older wrestler. It showed him "defying the harshness of life," meaning he was bravely facing life's difficulties. The second work was called "A Life." It showed a beautiful, grown-up woman sitting on a stone sphinx, looking back. People said it was one of the nicest works at the Salon. A newspaper called Le Figaro said Rebeca was a very talented artist from Latin America. They noted how easily and skillfully she made her sculptures.
The sculpture she made for the International Court of Justice was put in place in 1914. It was called The War.
The Chilean government kept asking Rebeca to create more art. In 1914, she made Heroes de la Concepción, which is located in Santiago. In 1918, Rebeca became a teacher at the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in Italy.
Later Life and Passing
Rebeca's daughter, Lily, became sick with tuberculosis. She passed away in 1926 in a special hospital in the Swiss Alps. Rebeca became very sad after Lily's death. She stopped making art and instead focused on helping others through charity work, doing it in her daughter's memory. Rebeca Matte passed away in Paris on May 14, 1929.
After Rebeca's death in 1929, her husband gave her sculpture Icarus and Daedalus to the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts. This sculpture is a copy of an original one. The original was a gift from the Chilean government to Brazil and is shown publicly in Rio de Janeiro. The copy was placed outside the museum in 1930.
An award was created in 1922 by the Chilean Ministry of Education. It was named after Rebeca Matte and is given to important Chilean sculptors.
Famous Sculptures
- Santa Teresa, Paris, 1907 sculpture.
- Unidos en la gloria y en la muerte (Ícaro y Dédalo), 1922, Bronze, 200 cm tall, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Chile.
- Horacio, marble, 200 cm tall, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.
- El eco, marble, 142 cm tall, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.
- Crudo invierno, 1912, bronze, 60 cm tall, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Chile.
- Militza, marble, 155 cm tall, Museo de Arte y Artesanía de Linares, Chile.
- La guerra, asked for in 1908, put in place in 1914, Peace Palace garden, The Hague, The Netherlands (a gift from the Chilean government to the Peace Palace).
- Tristeza, marble, Galería Pitti, Florence, Italy.
- Homenaje a los héroes de la Concepción, 1920, bronze, Avda. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
- Los aviadores, 1923, bronze, Plaza Mauá, Río de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Icarus and Daedalus, 1922, Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.
- Ulises y Calipso, 1925, marble, Hall del Club de La Unión, Santiago, Chile.
- Mi hija, marble, Cemetery Général, Santiago, Chile.
- Dolor, marble, Cemetery Général, Santiago, Chile.
- Militza, on loan to Musée des Arts et Métiers de Linares, Chile.
Images for kids
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See also
In Spanish: Rebeca Matte para niños
