Ricardo Legorreta: Architects

JOHN V. MUTLOW

Ricardo Legorreta is the most renowned architect working in Mexico today. His signature use of brilliant saturated reds, purples, and yellows, thick-textured walls of stucco and plaster, and mysterious, light-filled spaces has earned him a devoted following and a distinguished international reputation. Legorreta´s highly personal aesthetic combines a deep appreciation of traditional Mexican architectural elements and culture with a thoroughly modern sense of design that reflects his early training with the Mexican master Luis Barragán. This long-awaited monograph showcases 25 of the architect´s most recent and celebrated projects in Mexico, Texas, and California, with stunning color photography throughout and special focus on nine private houses. Among the projects shown here are vacation houses in Mexico and in Rancho Santa Fe and Sonoma County, California; the house of actor Ricardo Montalbán and the renowned Greenberg House in Los Angeles; the new Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua; El Papalote Children´s Museum and the City of the Arts, both in Mexico City; the new San Antonio Main Library in Texas; several high-profile buildings in Monterrey, Mexico, including an office complex designed to house an impressive collection of Mexican art and sculpture; and the famous Camino Real hotels in Mexico City and Ixtapa. An introduction and an interview with Legorreta, a list of projects, and a bibliography provide background and insight into this architect´s prolific career.