Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994, Brazil) is recognized as one of the most influential – if not the most influential – landscape architects of the 20th century. “Tablecloth/Toalhaâ€, an exhibition at Rooster Gallery, 190 Orchard Street on New York’s Lower East Side, will be comprised of several late works, mainly executed during his stay in Constância at José Ramoa’s, an art dealer and collector with whom Burle Marx developed an intense friendship. The exhibition will be on display January 6 – March 4, with an opening reception January 26 from 6 – 8, so if you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple this winter, don’t miss this show.
The exhibition is titled after a 141â€x59†painted tablecloth specifically designed to fit Ramoa’s dining table. Just like another tablecloth on display at SÃtio Burle Marx in Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, this work clearly demonstrates Burle Marx’s originality as a multifaceted artist whose work cannot be exclusively categorized as landscape architecture. Lauro Cavalcanti – curator of the retrospective exhibition “Roberto Burle Marx 100 anos: A permanência do Instável†– stated that Burle Marx “…painted every day in the morning and in the afternoon he did his gardens†and did not enjoy the fact that his paintings were relegated to a secondary position.
Also on display will be 12 india-ink works on paper, dated from 1973 to 1990, which reveal Burle Marx’s loose proficiency. While dispensing color – something inherently his due to his activity as a landscape architect – Burle Marx still follows the same provocative abstract morphology that characterized South-American art during the second half of the 20th century, providing the viewer some hints on issues like urbanism and landscaping. Along with these works some never before seen letters and photography of Burle Marx and Ramoa will be available.
“Tablecloth/Toalha†is an exhibition that wants to show Burle Marx’s activity not only as a landscape architect, but also as a prolific and inventive artist. In the end, one might question whether it is the architectural grammar that is present on Burle Marx’s paintings or the pictorial language that is present in his landscape projects.
