organic and cosmic lifeforms (see biomorphism). He was one of the first artists to take this abstract leap. Matta's connections with Breton's surrealist movement were severed following a private disagreement concerning Arshile Gorky and his family. Matta was accused of indirectly causing Gorky's suicide (in response to Matta's relationship with the Armenian-American painter's wife). This led to his expulsion from the group, but by this time Matta's own name was becoming widely known. He divided his life between Europe and South America during the 1950s and 1960s, successfully combining the political and the semi-abstract in epic surreal canvases. Matta believed that art and poetry can change lives, and was very involved in the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. He was a strong supporter of the socialist government of president Salvador Allende in Chile. A 4x24 meter mural of his entitled The First Goal of the Chilean People, was painted over with 16 coats of paint by the military regime of Augusto Pinochet following their violent overthrow of Salvador Allende in 1973. In 2005 the mural was discovered by local officials. In 2008 the mural was completely restored at a cost of $43,000, and it is displayed today in Santiago at the La Granja city hall. Throughout his life, Matta worked with many different types of media, including ceramic, photography, and video production. Matta died in Civitavecchia, Italy on 23 November 2002, eleven days after his 91st birthday. Matta was married twice: his first wife was Patricia Matta Echaurren (née O'Connell), an American (who later married Pierre Matisse), and his second wife was Germana Ferrari. He is the father of six children. Two died prematurely, leaving his creative legacy to artists Gordon Matta-Clark and his twin brother Sebastian, Ramuntcho Matta, Federica Matta, designer Alisée and artist and writer Pablo Echaurren, whose surname was wrongly recorded at birth. Selected list of works Sick Flesh (ca. 1932-1933) The Clown (1934) Untitled (Payasa) (1935) Panama and Wet Sheets (1936) La Forêt, Snail’s Trace, Composición Azul, Scénario No. 1: Succion Panique du Soleil and Morphology (1937) The Red Sun, Space Travel (Star Travel), To Both of You, Crucifiction (Croix Fiction), several works titled Psychological Morphology and Morphology of Desire (1938) more works titled Psychological Morphology and Water (1939) Dark Light (1940) Invasion of the Night, Ecouter Vivre, Théorie de l’Arbre, Composition Abstraite, The Initiation (Origine d’un Extrême) and Foeu (1941) The Hanged Man,