The Life & Work of Luis Barragan (Hardcover)

by Jose M. Buendia Julbez (Author), Juan Palomar (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Life and Work of Luis Barragán strikes just the right balance between the factual and poetic sides of the architect.... Sebastián Saldívar's beautiful photographs effectively convey ... Barragan's timeless work. -- The New York Times Book Review, Martin Filler

Product Description
Luis Barragan is an icon of contemporary architecture-a genius of color, light, walls, the garden, the tower, the rooftop, he has influenced an entire generation of current architects, not least of them his one-time collaborator Ricardo Legorreta. Admirers of his work note its serenity, its harmony. In 1979, when Barragan was presented the Pritzker Prize, his work was referred to as "a sublime act of the poetic imagination." It is this aspect of Barragan's work that is presented in The Life and Work of Luis Barragan, a biographical portrait that reveals Barragan as a master of what he himself called "emotional architecture."

Barragan's impressions and influences are recorded here, from his early years in Gudalajara to his work in Mexico City, and his highly inspiring travels in the Alhambra, the villages of Greece, and northern Africa. His rejection of the concepts of Le Corbusier and the International Style, and his embrace of the ideas of the French intellectual, painter, and landscape architect Ferdinand Bac provided valuable framework for understanding both the theory and form of Barragan's oeuvre.

Brilliant color photographs record Barragan's vibrant work as it has never been seen before, including generous interior shots of such varied projects as Casa Cristo in Guadalajara, and Casas Galvez, Egerstrom, and Meyer, all from his Mexico City years. Barragan was perhaps first and foremost a landscape architect, and this book spotlights his gardens, and his vanguard, landscape-based approach to architecture itself-centered on the close relationship between landscape, color, and architecture in Mexico and the other lands that inspired him.

Text and photographs combine in The Life and Work of Luis Barragan for a personal and evocative portrayal of the Mexican master that will fascinate everyone familiar with his legacy, and intrigue those who are only just discovering the power and influence of his work.


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications (December 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847820572
• ISBN-13: 978-0847820573
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #368,804 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good effort but there's a better alternative, June 17, 2000

By	Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If readers are looking for a concise book on Luis Barragan, this book is NOT it. Rather, you are urged to look at Luis Barragan: The Complete Works which not only have architecture pictures but also detailed discussions by few academics & even Luis Barragan acceptance speech of his winning of the prestigious Pultizer prize. But if readers are just a pedestrian reader on architecture like me, you would appreciate this book for it contains beautiful photography (sometimes, pictures of the same thing taken from different angles) & GENERAL discussions upon Luis' refusal to conform to any particular architecture movements but rather following his vision of how an architecture should be depicted. He's not only an architect but an architect & artist combined, a sensible & faithful individual to his culture, core values. The readers are also given a quick overview of his exit from Guadalajara & his rising from ashes in Mexico, inspirations that he attained from his trip to the Meditarrenean & Africa (namely Morroco), his relationships & eventual downfall with artists that he worked with. Overall, a good effort but superficial for the academics.

5.0 out of 5 stars Different approach to an unknown Barragan, November 3, 2006

By	Roura Oxandaberru "Roura" (Japan) - See all my reviews

The book is full of highly artistic and unique photos, taken at different seasons and through many years, showing an unknown side of Barragan, far away from other books or writings. It was written by authors that knew Barragan personally, fact that enhances its uniqueness and versatility.