Barragán
- tipsy modernist
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
The OG, the Mack Daddy, and now, the ultimate diamond of Mexican Modernism
You can’t really talk about modern architecture in Mexico without mentioning Luis Barragán. Although his actual name is Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín, his acclaim is such that, like any diva he is known simply by one name- Barragán. He is mostly known for his residential work, modern villas designed for the new upper middle class of the new modern Mexico. While he wasn’t as prolific as Le Corbusier or many other modern Mexican architects, he had a profound influence on modern and contemporary architects all over the world. He is known for serene, almost monastic interiors combined with the use of electric colors to highlight the architecture, similar to the manner in which Mies Van der Rohe used marble planes to differentiate spaces.
Early Life
Barragán did not start out as an architect but as an engineer. He was born in the city of Jalisco in Guadalajara in 1902 and later attended the engineering school of Guadalajara, now part of the University of Guadalajara. After graduation he did the requisite tour of Europe, including Spain and France. While in France he discovered the work of artist and designer Ferdinand Bac, whose work greatly inspired him. It’s interesting to me to hear that it was Bac who inspired him- I would have pegged him as a disciple of Le Corbusier. Although he did meet Le Corbusier during his travels, he did not site him as an influence. Nevertheless, his white plaster exteriors and austere, modern lines clearly demonstrate the influence of European modernism. Barragán was adamantly opposed to Le Corbusier’s belief that a house should be a “machine for living” and is known for proclaiming that “any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake.” He used color and local,natural materials such as wood, and especially volcanic stone to create homes, that are spaces to retreat from a fast-paced world, rather than embrace it, as Le Corbusier did.
photos of Los Torres de Satélite by the Tipsy Modernist
He started out his career practicing in Guadalahara for just under ten years and them moved his practice to Mexico City, where most of his best known projects are. The Torres de Satélite, towers built in 1957 at the entry to the new upscale neighborhood of Ciudad Satélite are emblamtic of his unique form of modernism combining brutalist poured- in -place concrete with bright colors. Although the materials and colors are typical of his style, the monumentality of the soaring towers is not something one typically associates with his work. Artist Mathias Goeritz collaborated with him on the color selection for this project as well as many of his other most famous projects and is responsible for the saturated colors that are an integral part of Barragán’s work.
Barragán designed many residential neighborhoods in Mexico City such as Las Arboledas, very near Ciudad Satélite in 1947, Loma Verdes in 1964, and his most famous neighborhood, the equestrian estates of Los Clubes in 1967. This neighborhood was designed specifically for equestrian owners, and featured a bridal path and water feature specifically for horses, called La Fuente de los Amantes. Barragán himself was an avid rider, who grew up riding horses at many of his family’s ranches in Jalisco. In Mexico City he belonged to the equestrian center Club Hípico Francés, where he eventually met Swedish businessman Folke Egerström, for whom he designed the home which became his most iconic project: Cuadra San Cristóbal. The home Barragán designed for the Egerström family centered around the stables and most notably the courtyard with a large fountain and pool for equestrian use. (There was a separate pool for people near the house.) It is in this project where his signature pink (courtesy of Mathias Goeritz) combined with minimal architectural forms creates monumental spaces that are intensely emotional and evocative.
Casa Ortega
Casa Ortega, which was designed by Barragán for himself in the forties is also centered around the outdoors but here it is a garden not a courtyard. This project couldn’t be more different from the austere and minimal architecture of Caudra San Cristóbal. This earlier project is clearly referencing the romantic landscapes of French designer Ferdinand Bac rather than European modernism. Unlike the very austere and formal gardens at Cuadra San Cristóbal, which function like modernist interiors, the garden at Casa Ortega is a rambling romantic ruin with the house functioning almost like a folly or viewing pavilion from which to gaze out on the gardens. Barragán outgrew the property, (or perhaps the design) and built another building on the other side of the garden, where he lived until his death which is now the Casa Barragán. This previous home was purchased by the Ortega family and is now known as Casa Ortega.
photos of Casa Ortega by the Tipsy Modernist
Casa Barragán’s interiors are much more minimal and austere than the Casa Ortega, almost monastic. Again this building was designed around the garden, but the views are much more controlled, almost theatrical. Others have described the home as a “priest’s confessional”.1
Again the colors were selected by Mathias Goeritz as is the gold painting at the top of the stair case. Reflective objects, such as this gold leaf painting and gazing balls are strategically placed throughout his personal interiors. One can clearly see from these images that although the interiors are very serene and contemplative, they aren't as romantic as Casa Ortega.
Photos of Casa Barragán, courtesy of the Casa Barragán foundation
Barragán was famously celibate, and the mystery surrounding his sexuality combined with his monastic interiors helped to reinforce the image of the solitary architect devoted only to his work. Despite the single beds and monastic environment in his homes, Barragán was not exactly celibate or solitary. He was known to frequently host gatherings and there is much supposition that Barragán was a closeted gay man. It is widely believed that he had a long term relationship with Mexican modern dancer José Arcadio Limón. It was most likely the dancer and artist Rosa Rolanda who introduced Barragán to José Limón. Rosa Rolanda and her husband Miguel Covarrubias were important fixtures of the burgeoning Mexican modernist scene and were friendly with Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Rufino Tamayo, and Roberto Montenegro. Barragán owned sensuous black and white photos of Limón posing on the volcanic rock outcroppings in El Pedregal, the gated development that Barragán designed. Barragán also had close friendships with openly gay men such as the prominent Mexican painter, Jesus ‘Chucho’ Reyes. Like many gay men during this time period, there is little evidence of his sexuality due to the dangers it would have posed to his career and livelihood. It is also possible that after his death any correspondence or evidence which might have defined his sexuality was destroyed in an effort to “protect” his reputation.
Barragán retired from practicing architecture in the late seventies. In 1980 he was the second recipient of the Pritzker prize. Although his portfolio of projects was relatively small, compared to the work of other architects such as Pedro Ramirez Vasquez, he had a tremendous influence on modern architecture, inspiring the work of everyone from Louis Kahn to Ricardo Legoretto and Alvaro Siza. Louis Kahn consulted Barragán on the design of the plaza between his two buildings at the Salk Institute, (perhaps Kahn’s most famous project) which he had originally intended to be a garden. It was Barragán who advised him to make the space a plaza with a water feature. Barragán died in 1988 at the age of eight six.
The Weird part Given his tremendous reputation one would have thought that one of the many Mexico City cultural institutions would have received his archives. Sadly this was not the case. Whether or not Barragán tried to bequeath his archive to the state or its cultural institutions is unknown. As he had no heirs, he designated three friends to manage his estate.
Given his tremendous reputation one would have thought that one of the many Mexico City cultural institutions would have received his archives. Sadly this was not the case. Whether or not Barragán tried to bequeath his archive to the state or its cultural institutions is unknown. As he had no heirs, he designated three friends to manage his estate.
Nearing the end of his life, Barragán asked his friend Ignacio Díaz Morales to find an appropriate institution to house his library. He bequeathed his archive of drawings, models, sketches and other original work to his business partner Raul Ferrera. Díaz Morales is responsible for creating the foundation that now owns and runs the Casa Barragán home and museum, as well as managing the library, personal correspondence and art collection of Luis Barragán. This is known as the Fundación de Arquitectura Tapatía Luis Barragán. Bizarrely the archive of his studio work did not have the same fate. Raul Ferrara suffered from mental illness and was unable to cope with the enormity of the task. In 1993 he tragically committed suicide across the street from the Casa Barragán museum, with Barragán’s archive still in his possession. His widow tried selling the archive to a variety of Mexican cultural institutions for more than a million dollars, which they refused to pay. New York art dealer Max Protetch (whose gallery specialized in architectural drawings) was able to afford the price and so the entire studio archive of Mexico’s most famous modernist architect was sent to New York at some point in 1993. The Nepo Baby and His Fiancé
photo of Rolf Fehlbaum by Lars Petter Pettersen photo of Federica Zanco, courtesy of El Informador In 1994 Rolf Fehlbaum, whose parents founded the Swiss furniture company Vitra (which reproduces many iconic modernist furniture designs), bought the entire archive for three million dollars. The entire archive was shipped to Switzerland in 1995 to the Vitra campus near Basel. The myth is that the fifty-two year old Fehlbaum bought the archive as an engagement gift (instead of a ring), for his thirty something fiancé, art historian Federica Zanco. This has never been confirmed or denied by Mr. Fehlbaum. What is true, is that the archive remains in Switzerland under the care of Ms. Zanco who did not allow either the public or scholars to visit the archive. Federica Zanco founded the Barragan Archive, without the accent. (Presumably this was to differentiate itself from the Mexican Barragán foundation?) According to the Barragan Foundation’s website, they own not only the original drawings and work of Barragán but also the ”complete rights to the name and oeuvre… of Luis Barragán.” As of 2016, no curator or art historian had been granted access to the archive. Zanco’s response was that she was working on compiling a complete catalogue of his work, but nothing was made available to the public. The Barragan Foundation is extremely protective of any photographs of the work and even the buildings, claiming ownership of the work and its representation.
“What’s the difference Between Loving Something And Loving it So Much You Smother It?”Jill Magid 2.
photo of Jill Magid from Art Forum
Enter conceptual artist Jill Magid in 2013.
Magid heard about the bizarre circumstances surrounding the Barragán archive from her gallery Labor, which happens to be across the street from Casa Barragán. She reached out to the archive in Switzerland for a project she was working on about Barragán but was denied access. She persisted and tried to establish a friendship via hand written correspondence with Ms. Zanco, almost like an old-fashioned pen pal friendship. Nonetheless, she was still denied access. Magid then began creating a conceptual art piece based on her correspondence with Federica Zanco. The project was shown to great acclaim in New York City. It was not exactly flattering to Ms. Zanco. Ms. Magid was quoted as asking, “What’s the difference between loving something and loving it so much you smother it?”. After the piece was reviewed in The Times, Ms. Zanco’s correspondence with Ms. Magid became much more friendly. Magid began to envision a bizarre ménage à trois between herself, Barragán and Federica. “I’ve always called the archive her lover. To marry one man, she negotiated owning another man, whom she’s devoted her life to. It’s a weird love triangle, and I’m the other woman.”3.
An Exhumation, A Diamond, and A Proposal
Needless to say the Mexican people were rightly incensed that not only had Barragán’s entire archive left the country, but that it remained inaccessible, in a private collection. In 1998 the Mexican paper La Jornada described Zanca’s acquisition of the archive as an act of looting and colonization. The restrictions of the Barragan Foundation and the inaccessibility of the archives, made it impossible to exhibit Barragán’s work or even include his work in any exhibtions, resulting in his work becoming known mostly through Instagram photos. In 2014 Jill Magid, contacted Barragán’s remaining relatives and invited them for a grand dinner party at the Casa Barragán. During this meal, she relayed to them another project centered on Luis Barragán. She told them that she wanted to propose to Federica Zanco with a diamond engagement ring, in the hopes of persuading her to open the Barragán archives to the public, in exchange for the ring. And where would this diamond engagement ring come from you ask? Jill Magid hoped to have the diamond made by a Swiss company specializing in creating jewelry from the ashes of cremated loved ones. She hoped that the family would allow her to use the ashes of Luis Barragán to make the diamond. Amazingly not only did the family agree, but they were quite interested in how the ring would be designed, how the ring could be displayed to the public, and where it would be housed. In September of 2015 the family allowed Barragán’s ashes to be exhumed from his monument in Jalisco and six months later Jill Magid flew to Guadalajara, to present the Swiss diamond made from his ashes to the family, including the architect’s nephew Hugo Barragán.
“Magid took the box out of her purse and placed it on the table. She opened the lid and the sun hit the stone. Everyone gasped. Hugo peered at the diamond, as a nephew took a photograph on his phone. His granddaughter, tears in her eyes, took the diamond from the box and placed it in Hugo’s shrivelled hand. Magid explained that the diamond would be set in an engagement ring the next day.”4.
In May of 2016 Jill Magid flew to Basel to meet with Federica and make her proposal. She offered her the diamond ring if she would return the archive to Mexico. “If you accept this ring, you will return the archive to Mexico,” she said. “I am offering you the body, for the body of work.”5. The Ultimate Gatekeeper Sadly, Federica, did not take Jill Magid up on her proposal and the archive remained in a bunker in Switzerland. Federica believed that the archive would be best cared for in an airless bunker in Switzerland than in Mexico. (How many times have we heard this explanation from colonialist looters? Elgin Marbles anyone?) She was also extremely concerned about how ubiquitous reproductions of Barragán’s work would reduce it to a cliché.
“More and more, Barragán is becoming the Frida Kahlo of architecture,” she said. “People ask for pictures, and they want them now! You agree, and then you see them in a spread in a fashion magazine for something about how pink is the new color for spring.”6.
In 2022 the archive was relocated to Germany, just over the Swiss border. According to the Barragan Foundation website, access is now granted to scholars who submit a written request along with credentials and explanation of their topic of study. If you want to read more about this deliciously bizarre ménage à trois, I cannot recommend enough Alice Gregory’s article for the New Yorker: The Architect Who Became A Diamond
Hey don't miss out on the recipe for the cocktail inspired by this story!
El Diamonte Barragán
Cheers!
Shoppables
Sources: Gregory, Alice. The Architect Who Became A Diamond The New Yorker Magazine, July 2016. Moffit, Evan. Uncovering the Sexuality and Solitude of a Modern Mexican Icon Frieze Magazine, March 2019 O'Brien, Lindsay. Barragán Was A Horse Girl Wickipedia Notes: 1.Moffit, Evan. Freize Magazine March 2019 Uncovering the Sexuality and Solitude of a Modern Mexican Icon 2./3.4/5/6. Gregory, Alice. The New Yorker, July 2016 The Architect Who Became A Diamond
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