Luis Barragán
Encyclopedia
Luis Barragán Morfin was a Mexican
architect. He was self-trained.
in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect.
After graduation, he travelled through Spain
, France
(where he attended lectures of Le Corbusier
), and Morocco
. While in France he became aware of the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer and artist who had a huge influence on Barragán's future career. He practiced architecture in Guadalajara from 1927–1936, and in Mexico City thereafter.
. In 1947 he built his own house and studio in Tacubaya
and in 1955 he rebuilt the Convento de las Capuchinas Sacramentarias in Tlalpan
, Mexico City
, and the plan for Jardines del Bosque
in Guadalajara. In 1957 he planned Torres de Satélite
(whose iconic towers he created in collaboration with sculptor Mathias Goeritz
) and an exclusive residential area, Las Arboledas, a few kilometers away from Ciudad Satélite
. In 1964 he designed, alongside architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, the Lomas Verdes
residential area, also near the Satélite area, in the municipality of Naucalpan, Estado de México
. In 1967 he created one of his best known works, the San Cristóbal Estates equestrian development in Mexico City.
and became influenced by European modernism. The buildings he produced in the years after his return to Mexicos show the typical, clean lines of the Modernist movement. Nonetheless, according to Andrés Casillas (who worked with Barragán), he eventually became entirely convinced that the house should not be "a machine for living." Opposed to functionalism, Barragán strove for an "emotional architecture" claiming that "any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake." Barragán always used raw materials such as stone or wood. He combined them with his incredibly creative use of light.
at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York
. In 1980, he became the second winner of the Pritzker Prize
. His house and studio
, built in 1948 in Mexico City, were listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage site
in 2004.
architecture. John Pawson
, in his book Minimum, includes images from some of Barragán's projects. Most architects who do minimalistic architecture do not use color, but the ideas of forms and spaces which Barragán pioneered are still there. There have been several essays written by the Pritzker Prize recipient Alvaro Siza in prefaces to books that make reference to the ideas of Barragán as well.
It has also been suggested that Barragán informally consulted Louis Kahn
on the space between the buildings of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. According to that claim, Kahn's original idea was to place a garden between the buildings; however, Barragán reputedly suggested that an open plaza, with only a water feature in between, would better reflect the spirit of the location. This area, possibly designed with Barragán's advice in mind, is arguably the most impressive aspect of the building complex.
Barragán's influence can also be seen in the work of many of Mexico's contemporary architects, such as Ricardo Legorreta
.
Fundación de Arquitectura Tapatía which owns (in co-ownership with the Government of the State of Jalisco) Luis Barragán's former private residence. The house is now a museum which celebrates Barragán and also serves as a conduit between scholars and architects interested in visiting other Barragán buildings in Mexico, including Capilla de las Capuchinas and Casa Prieto López. As noted previously, UNESCO added the Casa Luis Barragán to its World Heritage List in 2004.
The Barragan Foundation is a not-for-profit institution based in Basel, Switzerland
. It acquired the professional archives of Luis Barragán in 1995, and the estate of the photographer Armando Salas Portugal documenting Barragán's work in 1997. The Foundation's mission is to preserve and study the Luis Barragán archives. The Barragan Foundation owns complete rights to the work of Luis Barragán and to the related photos by Armando Salas Portugal.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
architect. He was self-trained.
Early life
Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in GuadalajaraGuadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect.
After graduation, he travelled through Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(where he attended lectures of Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
), and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. While in France he became aware of the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer and artist who had a huge influence on Barragán's future career. He practiced architecture in Guadalajara from 1927–1936, and in Mexico City thereafter.
Career
His Guadalajara work includes over a dozen private homes in the Colonia Americana area of what is today near downtown Guadalajara. These homes, within walking distance of each other, include Barragán's earliest residential projects. His first building (the Casa Cristo) is now restored and houses the state's Architects' Guild.Remarkable projects
In 1945 he planned and built Jardines del PedregalJardines del Pedregal
Jardines del Pedregal or simply El Pedregal is an upscale residential colonia in southern Mexico City. Its borders are San Jerónimo Avenue and Ciudad Universitaria at the north, Insurgentes Avenue at the east and Periférico at south and west. Its were the major real estate project undertaken by...
. In 1947 he built his own house and studio in Tacubaya
Tacubaya
Tacubaya is a section of Mexico City located in the west in the Miguel Hidalgo borough. The area has been inhabited since before the Christian era, with its name coming from Nahuatl meaning “where water is gathered.” From the colonial period to the beginning of the 20th century, Tacubaya was...
and in 1955 he rebuilt the Convento de las Capuchinas Sacramentarias in Tlalpan
Tlalpan
Tlalpan is one of the sixteen administrative boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost all of it on the northern edge, has been urban since the mid 20th...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, and the plan for Jardines del Bosque
Jardines del Bosque
The colonia of Jardines del Bosque is located on the western part of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.This colonia was planned by the renowned Modernist architect Luis Barragán in 1955 in the grounds of what used to be the "Santa Edwviges" woods...
in Guadalajara. In 1957 he planned Torres de Satélite
Torres de Satélite
The Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and...
(whose iconic towers he created in collaboration with sculptor Mathias Goeritz
Mathias Goeritz
Mathias Goeritz - August 4, 1990 in Mexico City) was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin...
) and an exclusive residential area, Las Arboledas, a few kilometers away from Ciudad Satélite
Ciudad Satélite
Satélite is a Greater Mexico City high-class suburban area located in Naucalpan, State of Mexico. Officially the name corresponds only to the homonym neighbourhood, Ciudad Satélite, founded circa 1957...
. In 1964 he designed, alongside architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, the Lomas Verdes
Lomas Verdes
Lomas Verdes is a middle class neighborhood located in the county of Naucalpan de Juárez, in the state of Mexico. The community was developed in the late 1960s and is near Ciudad Satélite Lomas Verdes means "Green Hills" in Spanish, as the terrain had a set of smooth hills covered with green grass...
residential area, also near the Satélite area, in the municipality of Naucalpan, Estado de México
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
. In 1967 he created one of his best known works, the San Cristóbal Estates equestrian development in Mexico City.
Barragán and the Modernist movement
Barragán attended lectures by Le CorbusierLe Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and became influenced by European modernism. The buildings he produced in the years after his return to Mexicos show the typical, clean lines of the Modernist movement. Nonetheless, according to Andrés Casillas (who worked with Barragán), he eventually became entirely convinced that the house should not be "a machine for living." Opposed to functionalism, Barragán strove for an "emotional architecture" claiming that "any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake." Barragán always used raw materials such as stone or wood. He combined them with his incredibly creative use of light.
Honors
Barragán worked for years with little acknowledgement or praise until 1975 when he was honored with a retrospectiveRetrospective
Retrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle.-Music:...
at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1980, he became the second winner of the Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honour "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built...
. His house and studio
Luis Barragán House and Studio
The Luis Barragán House and Studio, located in the Tacubaya suburb of Mexico City, was the residence of architect Luis Barragán in the years following the Second World War. Built in 1947, the 1162 square meter three-story concrete house and garden reflect Barragán's design style during this period...
, built in 1948 in Mexico City, were listed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 2004.
Influence
The work of Luis Barragán is often (and misleadingly) quoted in reference to minimalistMinimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
architecture. John Pawson
John Pawson
John Pawson is a British designer associated with the minimalist aesthetic.-Biography:Pawson studied at Eton College and the Architectural Association School of Architecture and is married to Catherine and has two children, Caius and Benedict.-Selected projects:London's Cannelle Cake Shop, several...
, in his book Minimum, includes images from some of Barragán's projects. Most architects who do minimalistic architecture do not use color, but the ideas of forms and spaces which Barragán pioneered are still there. There have been several essays written by the Pritzker Prize recipient Alvaro Siza in prefaces to books that make reference to the ideas of Barragán as well.
It has also been suggested that Barragán informally consulted Louis Kahn
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
on the space between the buildings of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. According to that claim, Kahn's original idea was to place a garden between the buildings; however, Barragán reputedly suggested that an open plaza, with only a water feature in between, would better reflect the spirit of the location. This area, possibly designed with Barragán's advice in mind, is arguably the most impressive aspect of the building complex.
Barragán's influence can also be seen in the work of many of Mexico's contemporary architects, such as Ricardo Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis is a Mexican architect. He was born in Mexico City on May 7, 1931. He was awarded the prestigious UIA Gold Medal in 1999 and the Praemium Imperiale in 2011.He studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México....
.
Legacy
After his death in 1988, two not-for-profit organizations were created to help manage Barragán's legacy.Fundación de Arquitectura Tapatía which owns (in co-ownership with the Government of the State of Jalisco) Luis Barragán's former private residence. The house is now a museum which celebrates Barragán and also serves as a conduit between scholars and architects interested in visiting other Barragán buildings in Mexico, including Capilla de las Capuchinas and Casa Prieto López. As noted previously, UNESCO added the Casa Luis Barragán to its World Heritage List in 2004.
The Barragan Foundation is a not-for-profit institution based in Basel, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It acquired the professional archives of Luis Barragán in 1995, and the estate of the photographer Armando Salas Portugal documenting Barragán's work in 1997. The Foundation's mission is to preserve and study the Luis Barragán archives. The Barragan Foundation owns complete rights to the work of Luis Barragán and to the related photos by Armando Salas Portugal.
Important works
- Las Arboledas / North of Mexico City (1955–1961)
- House for the architect / Barragán House, Mexico City (1947–48)
- Jardines del PedregalJardines del PedregalJardines del Pedregal or simply El Pedregal is an upscale residential colonia in southern Mexico City. Its borders are San Jerónimo Avenue and Ciudad Universitaria at the north, Insurgentes Avenue at the east and Periférico at south and west. Its were the major real estate project undertaken by...
Subdivision, Mexico City (1945–53) - Tlalpan Chapel, Tlalpan, Mexico City (1954–60)
- Gálvez House, Mexico City (1955)
- Jardines del BosqueJardines del BosqueThe colonia of Jardines del Bosque is located on the western part of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.This colonia was planned by the renowned Modernist architect Luis Barragán in 1955 in the grounds of what used to be the "Santa Edwviges" woods...
Subdivision, Guadalajara (1955–58) - Torres de SatéliteTorres de SatéliteThe Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and...
, Mexico City (1957–58), in collaboration with Mathias GoeritzMathias GoeritzMathias Goeritz - August 4, 1990 in Mexico City) was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin... - Cuadra San Cristóbal, Los Clubes, Mexico City (1966–68)
- Gilardi House, Mexico City (1975–77)