It’s wrong to assume modernism and its legacy is limited to Europe and North America; for it represents an international movement that consequently had to evolve as it spanned throughout the world. 1940s to 1950s Latin America, with its vast indigenous and colonial heritage, varying cultures and differing political situations, was no exception. Additionally, the challenge of adapting modern architecture to emerging cities and tropical climates not only fueled the designers’ imaginations within natural landscapes, but also allowed for materialistic experimentation as well; signifying the birth of a new architecture that in more recent times, has played an important role influencing today’s contemporary designers. As a result, extensive chronologies regarding Latin American modernism have been studied and showcased several times at The Museum of Modern Art, while many of these buildings are still used or preserved as cultural heritage, such as Oscar Niemeyer’s Casa Das Canoas.
Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955-1980, MoMA’s 2015 exhibit, inaugurated sixty years after Latin American Architecture since 1945, the museum’s first showcase of Latin America as a scenario of social and design-oriented change. Featuring architectural models, original drawings and sketches, photographs and even cinematic clips, the latter exhibit ranges from macro to micro, showing university campuses to residential buildings designed by the likes of Eladio Dieste, Luis Barragán and Lina Bo Bardi, just to name a few. Unlike both American and European counterparts, its essential to remember that much of these buildings were created to fulfill societal needs and thus were commissioned by government and social initiatives. On the other hand, Luis E. Carranza, an Art and Architectural History Professor at Roger Williams University, criticizes the showcase’s exclusion of necessary political context, as well as a geographic generalization that fails to properly link the architectural works with their corresponding cultural backgrounds. While Carranza’s stance on MoMA’s accuracy at portraying Latin American modernism is a concerning, yet valid one, the exhibition excels at starting a conversation on the subject, which is generally underrepresented when compared to European modernism.
But what exactly characterizes Latin American modernism? A summary of the entire movement would result in an unfair generalization, or as scholar and architect Lydia Kallipolliti would describe it, a plurality, between Latin America’s contrasting scenarios; but by analyzing key works in the movement, one might better grasp its defining qualities. For the purpose of this entry, we’ll take a look at an example within the Caribbean: Casa Klumb. Designed in 1949 by Henry Klumb, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, the house was a modification of a typical Puerto Rican hacienda formerly known as Cody Ranch. Many factors in the design and construction of what would become the architect’s home reflect modernist thought, as well as Klumb’s own posture regarding instances of nature within urban towns. Curiously located in close proximity to the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras Campus, where Klumb himself designed many of the university’s iconic structures, the house seems to be better fitting in a more rural area, but the choice of locating it in a growing town suggests Klumb’s critique of mass produced homogeneous structures that completely disregard nature role in habitable spaces. Regarding construction materials, Klumb settled for wood and galvanized zinc roofs; remaining faithful to the hacienda’s traditional materials. Meanwhile, Le Corbusier’s influence is appreciated throughout the house’s pilotis and open floor plans, but one cannot deny the house’s seamless adaptation to its natural ambiance, much like Wright’s Taliesin. The surrounding vegetation and palm trees do not satisfy an exclusively aesthetic purpose, but rather provide protection from sunlight exposure and rain, as well as privacy. Last but definitely not least, the inclusion of a lily pond that complements existing nature adds an instance of introspection and tranquility, a move also seen in Oscar Niemeyer’s Casa Das Canoas, in Río de Janeiro. From a wider lens, Klumb’s approach at reinventing an existing house, or, in Nataniel Fúster and Heather Critchfield’s words, the recycling and modernization of the type, embodies conscious design, not just at human and psychological levels, but also at a cultural perspective.
Casa Klumb may be one example, but innovation in Latin American modernism is present in a variety of aspects, from Barragáns’ bold interactions between color and light, to Lina Bo Bardi’s floating solid and transparent structures, to Juan O’ Gorman’s fusion between muralism and design. Examples such as these prove the potential of Latin American design, its contributions having long ago transcended the modern movement. Whereas Latin America was once a mythical land where foreign modern designers brought their ideas to life, it eventually took a life of its own, marrying cultural tradition and innovation to create wonderfully experimental designs, and as a result, some of today’s most studied and renowned designers.
References:
Carranza, Luis E. Review of "Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955–1980" by Barry Bergdoll, Carlos Eduardo Comas, Jorge Francisco Liernur, and Patricio del Real. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289571356_Luis_E_Carranza_Review_of_Latin_America_in_Construction_Architecture_1955-1980_by_Barry_Bergdoll_Carlos_Eduardo_Comas_Jorge_Francisco_Liernur_and_Patricio_del_Real/citation/download
Fúster, N., Crichfield, H. C., & Farage, E. V. (2006). Klumb: Una arquitectura de impronta social = an architecture of social concern. San Juan, P.R.: La Editorial, Universidad de Puerto Rico, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ceedf215691d500017d3c51/t/5d07b692881cfd0001040e83/1560786609060/La+Casa+Klumb+++-++Reciclaje+y+Modernizacion+del+Tipo++%28N_Fuster_H_Crichfield%29.pdf
Moore, R. (2020, July 21). 'Latin America was a place where Modernist dreams came true'. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/exhibitions/latin-america-was-a-place-where-modernist-dreams-came-true
T. (2015, March 29). Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955–1980. MoMA, Floor 6, Exhibition Galleries, New York City.
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