THE WORK OF GUADALAJARAN ARCHITECT and engineer Luis Barragán has been a well of inspiration for contemporary architects and artists working today. Winner of the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest award, Barragán was a master in the use of water, light, and color.
Born in 1902, he grew up on a ranch in the Sierra del Tigre and developed a lifelong love of horses. He studied at Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara and embarked on the first of many influential trips to Europe in 1929.
His early commissions were for private homes in Guadalajara. By 1935, Barragán had moved to Mexico City, where he remained for the rest of his life, becoming a real estate developer and investor. This move provided Barragán the financial and creative freedom to pioneer several design experiments that combined natural and traditional materials with modern, man-made environments. This style is especially evident in his residential designs.
Barragán founded the Mexican Society of Landscape Architects and the American architect Louis Kahn sought his advice for the courtyard design at the legendary Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.
UNESCO named his residence, Barragán House, a World Heritage Site in 2004 due to its representation of traditional Mexican architecture combined with Modernism.
Although Barragán died in 1988, his style continues to influence architectural design around the world.
— Susan Grossman