Le Sommet

Modern Masters Tapestrie Gallery showcases Mathieu Matégot’s “Le Sommet” (the top), a breathtaking tapestry that embodies his artistic ingenuity and celebrates his enduring influence.
Mathieu Matégot was born on April 4, 1910 in Tapio-Sully, Hungary. He continued his studies, from 1925 to 1929, at the School of Fine Arts in Budapest and then undertook, for two years, several trips to Italy and the United States. Passionate about painting since youth, most of the work Mategot involved himself in revolved within the circles of design and creativity – shopkeeper at Galeries Lafayette and Toile d’avion, designer of decorations for the Folies Bergères, stylist for Parisian fashion houses, etc.,
By the end of the 1930s, mategot turned to a different creative domain – tapestry. By 1959, Matégot had abandoned furniture design to concentrate on his tapestries and continued in the tapestry world for the remainder of his career, becoming a pioneer of the French modern tapestry movement.
Matégot produced a variety of cutting edge designs that even today, are still considered very contemporary. His use of color is restrained, but the hues used are bright and saturated, often set against a dark background with dynamic linework contrasting the sections throughout. Heavy influence from artists such as Pablo Picasso and George Braque can be seen – but Matégot’s subject matter was overall more abstract, in line with the rise of Abstract Expressionism at the time.
His tapestries today hang in many major buildings, such as the Bank of International Settlements at Basel, the International Monetary Fund at Washington, and the Woolmark Head Office at London. Three of his works are in the National Library of Australia; when the building was opened, the “three remarkable tapestries [were] glowing like jewels in the marble-clad foyer”.