Public
principles
Despite recent
celebrations of Lina
Bo Bardi, is her legacy
now under threat?
Jane Hall
In her centenary year, the work of
the Italo-Brazilian architect Lina
Bo Bardi is being exhibited in
museums and galleries across the
world. Three shows in Sao Paulo,
the city she made her home, will
examine her life’s work, with
others in Rome, Zurich and New
York. Her archivists are working
hard to keep up with the spate
of exhibitions reflecting a
widespread renewal of interest
in her architecture.
It is therefore conspicuous
that one of the places where her
work will not be exhibited in her
100th year is at the Museu de
Arte de Sao Paulo (MASP), one
of her most celebrated buildings.
Completed in 1969, MASP is
widely cherished as the heart
of the city. The museum itself
seemingly hovers above a
vast open square, occupied in
Bo Bardi’s imaginative sketches
by a fairground, water features
and children playing. However
the current museum management
have revealed plans to fence
of! the square, in retaliation to
what they claim as its misuse for
gatherings, protests and drug use.
This move directly contradicts
the vision Bo Bardi presented in
the 1960s through her drawings
for the site, and also in her
rhetoric, ‘to make a poor
architecture with free spaces that
could be created by the collective,
but that would be a usable space,
that would be something that
could be taken over’.
The securitisation of this
valuable space goes against why
Paulistanos believe it to be such
an important part of their city,
but also against the very reason
why Bo Bardi’s architecture is
revered and celebrated today.
22 AR | DECEMBER 2014
L in a Bo B a rd i’s M u s e u de A r t e de S ao P a u lo is no t ta k in g p a rt in h e r ce n te n a ry , and th e s q u are b e n e a th it is th re a te n e d w ith clo su re
In contrast, her Brutalist Sao Paulo and much of Brazil, it focus much of their current
leisure complex SESC Pompeia is notable that the idea of social display on this diversity,
will be hosting an exhibition engagement has become a key investigating her seminal
dedicated to the political positions theme during her centennial year. installation at the Solar do
inherent in Bo Bardi’s projects. The Arkitekturmuseum der Unhao, a museum for modern
Describing her work as an TU Miinchen looks specifically art in the north-eastern city
‘accusation’, she confidently at programming and occupation of Salvador, of which she was
attacked the Brazilian in their exhibition. Alongside director between 1959 and 1964.
bourgeoisie for their elitism the publication of a new book, In the museum Bo Bardi
throughout her career, making Lina Bo Bardi 100, the museum displayed objects of everyday
it even more remarkable that she addresses the notion of use, using these items to invoke
was able not only to secure the modernisation from the bottom a new idea of modernity based
commission for SBSC, but also up, reflecting the connection on a unique Brazilian vernacular
build it on her own terms. As one between renewed enthusiasm that she would go on to describe
of the few openly public places for for her work in Europe and an as a arquitetura pobre (poor
leisure in Sao Paulo, the constant increased interest in alternative architecture). This idea as she
occupation of SESC Pompeia paths into practice. In Brazil put it, ‘was in the artisanal sense
since Bo Bardi left the project however, this appreciation is of achieving the maximum
is a testament to the strength of becoming more evident in the communication and dignity
her ideas. TJsed daily for sports, work of a growing number of with minimal, humble means’.
workshops and exhibitions, the architecture collectives, formed Bo Bardi often stated that the
centre was designed for collective largely of students, who are architect should act like an
use and still operates in this way, attempting to find new ways archaeologist, observing and
despite its own conservative of practising architecture that revealing what is already visible
management. Given the trend of reject established hierarchies but not necessarily appreciated.
fencing-off of public spaces across within the industry. It is exciting to see during
In this way Bo Bardi herself this anniversary that so many
defied conventional classification. exhibitions are reflecting on the
‘The securitisation A multifaceted and talented diversity apparent in Lina Bo
of public space goes designer, her catalogue of work Bardi’s thinking, with her lesser-
against the very includes writing, illustration, known ideas providing a richer
teaching, furniture design as well understanding of the complex
reason why Bo Bardi’s as buildings. The Johann Jacobs themes that have recently helped
architecture is revered’ Museum in Zurich has chosen to to popularise her work.
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