ROBERTO BURLE MARX

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THE GARDENS OF
ROBERTO BURLE MARX
SIMA ELIOVSON
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FOREWORD BY ROBERTO BURLE MARX
THE GARDENS OF
ROBERTO BURLE MARX
Sima Eliovson
Acclaimed as "the real creator of the modem
garden" by the American Institute of Architeds, Roberto Burle Marx has influenced
garden designers around the world. This
fascinating book-filled with 170 photographs, plans, and drawings of his incomparable landscapes with their bold, flowing
shapes, mosaic pavings, and great sweeps of
colorful plants-is the only authorized study
of the life and work of one of the world's
greatest living landscape architects.
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1909, Burle Marx
studied painting at The National School of
Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, and he remains a
practicing and successful artist to this day.
His gardens reveal his painterly vision of the
landscape, as well as his profound love and
knowledge of the rich flora of Brazil. The late
Sima Eliovson traces Burle Marx's long and
illustrious career from his first private commissions in the 1930s to his spectacular
urban landscapes in Rio and Brasilia, where
he worked with LeCorbusier, Lucia Costa,
Oscar Niemeyer, and other leading architects and city planners. Burle Marx made his
working plans and photographs available for
this book, which describes and illustrates
such important public commissions as the
splendid Flamengo Park, the mosaic walkways at Copacabana Beach, and the grounds
of the Museum of Modem Art, all in Rio; the
Parque del Este in Caracas, Venezuela; the
renovation of Biscayne Boulevard in Miami,
Florida; and includes intimate views of his
imaginative and lovely private gardens as
well.
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The work of Roberto Burle Marx is considered the strongest single influence on
gardens since the development of the English
garden tradition in the eighteenth century.
Famous gardens like that at Walt Disney's
Epcot Center, visited by millions, have drawn
inspiration for their landscape designs and
modeled their horticultural schools on his
principles. This comprehensive account of
Burle Marx's gardens illumines their unique
beauty, which has captured the admiration of
so many garden lovers worldwide.
Rounding out the volume is a complete
listing of Burle Marx landscape commissions and a glossary of botanical names of the
plants used in his gardens.
170 illustrations, including 163 plates in full color
lstltuto Unlversltorlo Archltetturo Venezia
VSA
297
Servizio Bibliogra1ico Audiovi~vo
e di Documentazione
•
The Gardens of
Roberto Burle Marx
Sima Eliovson
Foreword by Roberto Burle Marx
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HARRY N. ABRAMS, INC./SAGAPRESS, INC.
New York
Contents
Foreword by Roberto Burle Marx 7
Introduction 9
PART ONE The Man and His Background
1. The Place 13
2. The Man 21
3. The Personality 31
4. Art, Style, Philosophy and Ideas 41
5. The Plantsman 55
6. The Method 6 7
The Gardens-In Approximate Chronological Order
7. The Sitio (1949-1989) 81
8. Flamengo Park, The Museum of Modern Art (1954) and
Copa cabana (1970) 9 7
9. Residence Luis Cesar Fernandez, formerly of Odette Monteiro
(1948 & 1988) 105
10. Residence Olivo Gomes, Sao Jose dos Campos
(1950 & 1962) 109
11. Residence Ralph Camargo, Teresopolis, formerly of
Alberto Kronsforth (1955 & 1988) 115
12. Hospital Da Lagoa, formerly Sul-America, Rio (1955) 119
13. Manchete Building, Rio de Janeiro (1969) 123
14. Petrobras Building, Rio de Janeiro (1972) 127
15. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brasilia (1965 & 1988) 133
16. Ministry of Justice, Brasilia (1970) 139
17. Triangular Garden, Ministry of the Army, Brasilia (1970) 141
18. Tribunal de Contas da Uniao, Brasilia (1972) 145
19. Bank of Brazil, Brasilia, DF (1973) 147
20. Residence Vice-President of the Republic, Brasilia (1975) 149
21. Summer Residence, Nininha Magalhaes Lins, Rio de Janeiro
(1974 & 1988) and Town House, Nininha Nabuco Lins,
Rio 155
22. BNDES Building, Rio de Janeiro (1974) 159
23. Residence Hans Broas, Sao Paulo, SP (1975) 163
24. Banco Safra, Rua Bela Cintra, S.A. Sao Paulo, SP (1982) 165
25. Sao Luiz Participa~oes, S.A. Sao Paulo, SP (1983-1985) 169
26. Residences of the Colombo Family, Rio de Janeiro
(1982-1983) 173
27. Centro Empresarial, Botafogo Bay, Rio de Janeiro
(1981-1982) 177
28. Chaim Weizmann Square, Rio (1983) 179
29. Residence Raul de Souza Martins, Petropolis (1983-1988) 181
30. Caemi Foundation, Rio de Janeiro (1985) 189
31. Persiana Pan American, Rio de Janeiro (1987) 193
32. Residence Stehlin, Vale de Boa Esperanza (1988) 19 7
33. Fazenda Vargem Grande, Areias (1984-1989) 201
Appendix A: Glossary of Plants in the Text 211
Appendix B: Significant Landscape Projects 221
Index 233
PART TWO
ISBN 0-8109-3357-8
90000
9 780810 933576