Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán was a prominent Mexican architect born on March 9, 1902, in Guadalajara, Mexico, into a wealthy Catholic family. He studied engineering and developed a passion for architecture, influenced by his travels in Europe, particularly in France and Spain, where he encountered diverse architectural styles, including Middle Eastern influences. Barragán's work is characterized by minimalist design, vibrant colors, and the integration of natural elements such as gardens and water features, reflecting his deep spirituality and appreciation for simplicity.
His most notable contributions to architecture emerged between 1945 and 1985, during which he designed significant projects like the Gardens of El Pedregal and the Luis Barragán House, the latter now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Barragán's influence extended beyond Mexico, inspiring generations of architects with his unique blend of local identity and international style. He received prestigious accolades, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1980. After his death in 1988, the management of his estate led to complexity and intrigue, underscoring the enduring significance of his legacy in contemporary architecture.
Luis Barragán
Architect, engineer
- Born: March 9, 1902
- Birthplace: Guadalajara, Mexico
- Died: November 22, 1988
- Place of death: Mexico City, Mexico
Also known as: Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfin
Education: Escuela Libre de Ingenieros, Guadalajara
Significance: Considered a modernist and minimalist in style, Luis Barragán was one of the preeminent architects from Mexico in the twentieth century and the first Mexican to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. His award-winning constructs included homes, gardens, and equestrian facilities. After his death, his drawings, professional papers, and photographs were purchased by a private collector; this led to an unusual offer from another artist, who attempted to trade a diamond made from Barragán's ashes for greater access to his body of work.
Background
Luis Barragán was born on March 9, 1902, in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was one of nine children born into a wealthy Catholic family. His parents owned a facility that made high-end designer furniture as well as a ranch about thirty miles outside the city on which Barragán and his siblings grew up. As a boy, he loved horses and was said to already have a deep appreciation for the beauty of simple things.
He studied engineering at Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in his hometown of Guadalajara, graduating in 1925 at the age of twenty-three. His interest in architecture was sparked by architect Augustin Besave, who was affiliated with the engineering school. Barragán later taught himself the architectural skills and style that brought him fame, absorbing many influences as he traveled in Europe, the Mediterranean, and America. He was greatly influenced by a two-year trip he took beginning in 1925 to France and Spain, where he was exposed to buildings in Middle Eastern styles. The use of color and water in these structures later became features of Barragán's own works.
After his return to Mexico from his European trip, Barragán's first project was a home and several other buildings for a lawyer in Guadalajara. Another trip abroad, this one to Paris and New York, introduced Barragán to architectural heavyweights Konstantin Melnikov, Frederick Kiesler, and Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, who was known simply as Le Corbusier. Barragán attended a number of lectures by Le Corbusier in 1931 and was sometimes referred to as the Mexican Le Corbusier because his personal style was much like that of the French architect's.
During his early career, Barragán was based in Guadalajara and associated with a movement in the architectural world known as the Guadalajara school. These architects emphasized regional styles of architecture that preserved the area's local identity. In 1936, Barragán moved his offices to Mexico City, where he remained for the rest of his professional career.
In addition to being influenced by the many styles of architecture to which he was exposed in his travels, Barragán's Catholic faith and spirituality were also strong influences on his work. He preferred to incorporate gardens, simple lines, and designs that evoked a serene yet strongly spiritual feeling.
Life's Work
Architectural experts say that Barragán created his greatest designs in the four decades between 1945 and 1985. During this span, he created a number of private and public projects. These included a significant land development project in Mexico City called the Gardens of El Pedregal, several Catholic chapels, the Towers of Satellite City, and Las Arboledas.
In 1947, he began work on his own home in Mexico City; now known as the Luis Barragán House, the structure features his trademark simple lines and minimalist structure. The three-story concrete structure includes a private garden with water features. Barragán lived there for the remainder of his life and considered the home a work in progress that he improved on from time to time. After his death, the home became a historical site and part of the World Heritage Collection of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Barragán was also instrumental in the design for the facilities for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. During this time, he also created his most famous work, Los Clubes, which includes the Egerstrom House with pool and stables. It was said of Barragán that he incorporated his minimalist sensibilities and desire for serenity whether he was designing a house or a horse trough. His works also include large blocks of solid colors that are designed to draw attention without being distracting.
In 1980, Barragán became only the second recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his outstanding contributions to the art and science of architecture. Later, he received the Jalisco Award (1985) and Mexico's National Architecture Award just a year before he died in 1988.
Barragán never married, a fact that led to an interesting drama in the decades after his death. With no direct heir, Barragán left the rights to all of his designs, drawings, and the rest of his professional estate to his business partner, Raul Ferrara. His home and library were turned into the Luis Barragán Foundation, which manages the house and property. However, Ferrara committed suicide by hanging himself before he resolved the issue of Barragán's professional estate, leaving it to his own widow.
When she was unable to sell it, Ferrara's widow handed off Barragán's professional estate to a New York City art dealer. The art dealer eventually sold it to Rolf Fehlbaum, a Swiss furniture company heir who bought it for his fiancée, Federica Zanco, an Italian architectural historian, reportedly as an engagement gift. She kept it in a private archive, denying nearly all requests for access.
In an attempt to overcome Zanco's reluctance to share Barragán's estate, American conceptual artist Jill Magid arranged with some of Barragán's distant relatives to gain access to his ashes. She had some of them turned into 2.2 carat manufactured diamond. Magid then offered Zanco the diamond, set into an engagement ring, in exchange for returning Barragán's estate to public access. Zanco did not accept the offer, but she allowed some access to the estate. The ring made from Barragán's ashes was also put on public display in gallery shows created by Magid.
Impact
Despite the intrigue caused by the fate of his estate, Barragán remains a profound influence on Mexican architecture. His emphasis on simplicity and minimalism allowed him to maintain his home country's unique architectural style while broadening it with the influences of his world travels. Barragán served as an influence to multiple generations of architects who followed him.
Personal Life
Barragán never married. In the mid-1980s, he developed Parkinson's disease, which hindered his ability to sketch and create designs. He died at his home in Mexico City in 1988.
Bibliography
Cleaver, Kaanii Powell. "Architect Luis Barragán Becomes a Diamond in Death." Inquisitr, 27 July 2016, www.inquisitr.com/3355469/architect-luis-Barragán-becomes-a-diamond-in-death/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Frearson, Amy. "Luis Barragán's Family 'Shocked and Very Sad' after Architect's Ashes Turned into Diamond." DeZeen, 8 Aug. 2016, www.dezeen.com/2016/08/08/luis-Barragán-family-shocked-architects-ashes-diamond-ring-jill-magid/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Gregory, Alice. "The Architect Who Became a Diamond." New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2016, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/how-luis-barragan-became-a-diamond. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
"Luis Barragán." Famous Architects, www.famous-architects.org/luis-barragan/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
"Luis Barragán: Biography." The Pritzker Architect Prize, http://www.pritzkerprize.com/1980/bio. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
"Luis Barragán House and Studio." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1136. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Rauchwerger, Daniel. "25 Years after Luis Barragán's Death, a Look at Mexican Modernists." Architizer, 15 July 2013, architizer.com/blog/luis-barrahan-mexican-modernists/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Uribe, Begona. "Spotlight: Luis Barragán." Arch Daily, 9 Mar. 2017, www.archdaily.com/607209/spotlight-luis-Barragán. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.