{"id":3207,"date":"2015-09-06T22:48:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-06T22:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=3207"},"modified":"2018-08-03T22:42:25","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T22:42:25","slug":"moderno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=3207","title":{"rendered":"Moderno"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just returned from a very inspiring trip in Mexico City. I was lucky to be under the guidance of 2 very special locals: Ignacio Garza and Luciano Concheiro, who made me focus on having a multicultural experience, making it about the arts, architecture and design of this vibrant country. Oh…. and the cuisine too! For a glimpse into the popular arts and crafts of Mexico you can read my recent post here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was stunned by the level of sophistication and modernism I encountered everywhere I went and seeing some of these places and pieces in person I reflected on the unique shows I had seen this year which covered the progressive decorative designers and architects of central and south America. \u00a0From the breathtaking Columbian\u00a0Waterweavers <\/span><\/strong><\/a>show I saw in Madrid, to the huge\u00a0Latin America In Construction: Architecture 1955-1980<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>show at the New York Moma this year and finally\u00a0Moderno: Design for living in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela, 1940-1978<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>at the Americas Society, also in New York ( thank you Carmen Meli\u00e1n and Jorge F. Rivas P\u00e9rez\u00a0for making this visit possible even though the show had just shut down. You rock! )<\/p>\n

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\"Moma<\/a><\/p>\n

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Above: From\u00a0Latin America In Construction 1955-1980<\/em>\u00a0at \u00a0Moma : Edificio Palmas 555. Mexico DF 1975 by Juan Sordo Madaleno. Photo credit Guillermo Zamora.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below: the home and studio of Luis Barrag\u00e1n in Mexico City.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"casa<\/a><\/p>\n

Below: From Latin America in Construction 1955-1980<\/em> at Moma:\u00a0The National Museum of Anthropology designed by Pedro Ramirez Vazquez. Photo credit the Mexican Cultural center of New York.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Latin<\/a><\/p>\n

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I will go into more detail in further posts and cover some of the examples of modernist design and architecture of the places I visited in Mexico DF: \u00a0Luis Barrag\u00e1n, the UNAM, Matias Goeritz etc \u00a0but before I do I want to introduce the Moderno show and some of its pieces.<\/p>\n

Moderno: Design for Living in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, 1940\u20131978\u00a0examines how design, one of the most innovative chapters in the history of Latin American modernism, transformed the domestic landscape in a period marked by major stylistic developments and social political changes. Sheltered from the overall destruction and disarray of World War II, many Latin American countries (specifically Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela) entered an expansive period of economic growth in the late 1940s through the 1950s, which resulted in the modernization of major cities.<\/em><\/p>\n

Below:\u00a0Installation view of \u00a0\u2018Moderno: Design for Living in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, 1940\u20131978\u2019 at the Americas Society, New York. Photo credit : the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Moderno\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Although each country had unique cultural and historic particularities, modern ideals were fervently embraced as a vehicle for progress. The slogan \u201c50 years of progress in five,\u201d used in the 1950s by President Juscelino Kubitschek, best described Brazil\u2019s national agenda for fast economic growth to illustrate the urgency of change across the region. Modernism was officially embraced as the suitable style for these nations and design was endorsed as an agent for development. By encouraging \u201ca modern way of living\u201d as an ideology, the\u00a0desarrollista\u00a0governments promoted the widespread adoption of their modernization goals.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"moderno<\/a><\/p>\n

Above:\u00a0Installation view of \u00a0\u2018Moderno: Design for Living in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, 1940\u20131978\u2019 \u00a0Photo credit : the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below: Table lamp by Odilon Avalos 1950.\u00a0Photo credit : the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Odilon<\/a><\/p>\n

The post-World War II years ushered in a period of artistic effervescence in Latin America. As national art scenes flourished, new design vocabularies were invented, and architects and designers began to see themselves as active players in the creation of modern national identities. With private and public support, Latin American designers developed their unique styles that reflected both the changing cultural climate and local material traditions. The robust economies of the period fueled consumption, and administrations promoted national industries, particularly those that supplied a growing demand for consumer goods for the home. This renewed utopian hope encouraged designers and studio-craft artists to produce modern pieces that were specifically adapted to local tastes, as well as environmental climates.<\/em><\/p>\n

Below: Coffee table by Miguel Arroyo 1956.\u00a0Photo credit: the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ffee<\/a><\/p>\n

Moderno\u00a0aims to reposition modern Latin American design within a larger global context to explore how an influx of European and North American architects, designers and entrepreneurs\u2014including a surprisingly large number of women for the time\u2014helped expand the field of design by fostering a cosmopolitan and creative environment. The Bauhaus and other European avant-garde groups were also influential to designers who incorporated these ideologies into innovative designs they produced for their regional publics. In addition, the groundbreaking international design competition \u201cOrganic Design in Home Furnishings\u201d organized in 1940 by the Museum of Modern Art, featured a section devoted to Latin American design and played a significant role in the international dissemination of these designers\u2019 works.<\/em><\/p>\n

Below: A living room designed by Miguel Arroyo for the art critic Alfredo Boulton in 1953.\u00a0<\/strong>Photo credit: the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Miguel<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"jar<\/a><\/p>\n

Above: Jar with parrot by Los Castillo 1950.\u00a0Photo credit : the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below:\u00a0Lina Bo Bardi. Roadside chair 1967.\u00a0Photo credit : the Americas Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Moderno:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDesign and photography have been the\u00a0blind spots\u00a0of Latin American modernisms\u00a0as\u00a0they were systematically excluded from survey shows on the avant-gardes in the last\u00a0decade.\u00a0Moderno\u00a0is an overdue\u00a0case\u00a0study approach of the central role of design,\u00a0as a\u00a0laboratory for ideas of progress and social engineering that\u00a0shaped\u00a0processes of\u00a0modernization in Brazil, Mexico,\u00a0and Venezuela\u00a0in the post war,<\/em>\u201d says\u00a0Americas Society\u00a0Chief Curator and Visual Arts Director Gabriela Rangel.<\/div>\n

A beautiful book covering the exhibition will be released on the 16 th of September. For information on the event click here.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Moderated by Patricio del Real (Department of Architecture & Design, The Museum of Modern Art), authors Ana Elena Mallet, Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos, and Jorge Rivas P\u00e9rez, will present the fully-illustrated hardcover catalogue\u00a0Moderno: Design for Living in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela, 1940-1978, which includes original essays, as well as newly translated historical texts on design.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The book edited by Gabriela Rangel and Jorge F. Rivas P\u00e9rez, examines how design transformed the domestic landscape in Latin America in a period marked by stylistic, political, social, and economic changes. The 280-page hardcover publication includes contemporary essays by Rivas P\u00e9rez, Mallet, Loschiavo dos Santos, Lourdes Blanco, Luis Casta\u00f1eda, and Christina De Le\u00f3n, as well as newly translated historical texts by Mario de Andrade, Miguel Arroyo,\u00a0Lina Bo Bardi, Clara Porset, and\u00a0Marta Traba, amongst others.<\/em><\/p>\n

Enjoy!<\/p>\n

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I just returned from a very inspiring trip in Mexico City. I was lucky to be under the guidance of 2 very special locals: Ignacio Garza and Luciano Concheiro, who made me focus on having a multicultural experience, making it about the arts, architecture and design of this vibrant country. Oh…. and the cuisine too! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[68,4,43,2],"tags":[1170,1172,1174,1175,1156,1167,1169,1173,1168,1171],"class_list":["post-3207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-inspiration","category-things-that-work-for-me","category-travel","tag-1940-1978","tag-americas-society","tag-and-venezuela-1940-1978","tag-arts-and-crafts-mexico-city","tag-fonart","tag-latin-america-in-construction-1955-1980-at-moma","tag-mexico-and-venezuela","tag-moderno-design-for-living-in-brazil-mexico","tag-moderno-design-for-living-in-brazil","tag-waterweavers-show"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Screen-Shot-2015-06-01-at-4.01.29-PM.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s3BVEi-moderno","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3207"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3835,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3207\/revisions\/3835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}