BARRAGAN: Armando Salas Portugal photographs of the architecture of Luis Barragán

by Armando Salas Portugal

From the jacket:

Luis Barragán (1902-1988) was Mexico’s great modern master. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Barragán quickly discarded architecture’s International Style and went on to create works that show a respect for nature, a sensitivity to regional influence—he frequently used adobe, stucco, and unfinished wood—and, in his later works, a reliance on intense color.

This monograph documents all of Barragán’s important commissions, most of which are located in and around Mexico City, including El Pedregal, a landscaping and residential development built on 865 acres of lava desert which Barragán bought in 1944; the Towers of Satellite City (with Mathias Goeritz); San Cristobal stable, pools, and house; the Gilardi house; the Barragán house; and the residential subdivision Las Arboledas. Among other awards, Barragán won the coveted Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 1979.

168 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1992

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for an upcoming trip to Mexico City. Beautiful photographs of Barragán's work; helped give a sense of his oeuvre and what sites to prioritize. Wish there were a bit more biographical and philosophical information about Barragán himself, but I guess that's something to look forward when I'm there.

[jw468 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully presented, described, and photographed. The book is beautifully made as well, being bound in purple cloth and lovingly printed in Japan.