Charles Matton

Dedicating his life passionately to the creative arts, and convinced that each discipline possesses not only its specific characteristics, but also its intrinsic limitations, Charles Matton was a painter, draftsman, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, and writer. Haunted by the "urgent mystery" of appearances, he pursued his endless formal, aesthetic, and metaphysical quest employing the diverse media he mastered. Each of his themes - some taken from his immediate environment, others featuring real or illusory settings, still others based on the human figure - became the object of experimentation. Charles Matton's boxes - created using a vast range of techniques - are artistic microcosms, each participating in his "strategy of encirclement" and all fitting together into the coherent complexity of the body of work.

In deference to Matton's ongoing practice of taking stereoscopic photographs of his works, a specially designed 3-D viewer is included in this volume to allow readers to experience many of his creations in relief.

Bringing together some 500 images - including most of Charles Matton's boxes, as well as their derivatives in painting, drawing, and sculpture - this title also incorporates a broad selection of sketches, texts, and personal notes that invite us into the intimacy of his creative universe.

Sylvie Matton