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This exhibition revisits a preeminent example of Brutalist architecture, the Banco de Londres (1966) in Buenos Aires
Join us at Slought for the exhibition Clorindo Testa (1923-2013), Architect/Painter, on display from February 15 - March 13, 2014. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, February 15 from 5:00-7:00pm, and will feature Curator Osvaldo Romberg in conversation with Jean-Michel Rabaté about Testa's architecture and legacy.
The exhibition explores Testa's groundbreaking work as an architect and painter. Particular emphasis is given to Banco de Londres (1966) in Buenos Aires, a preeminent example of Brutalist architecture. Photographs, plans, and a short film will be featured.
Clorindo Testa was one of the leaders of the Argentine rationalist movement and a pioneer of the Brutalist movement in Argentina. His style as an architect has always been influenced by his artistic nature, with projects dominated by the effects of colour, tension, metaphors and plasticity; these aspects are well illustrated in his designs for the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina and the Banco de Londres building in Buenos Aires, pictured above.
Clorindo Testa (1923-2013) is acknowledged as one of the most prominent Latin American architects of the 20th Century. In 1960, associated with Studio SEPRA, he won the competition for what became one of the most emblematic buildings of the modern architecture in Argentina: the headquarters of the Bank of London and South America (today, Hipotecario Bank), at the heart of Buenos Aires' financial district. Inaugurated in 1966, the building is marked as a main example of the architectural movement called Brutalism, and is among the best recognized Argentinian contributions to international architecture. Simultaneously with his career in architecture, Clorindo was also a suggestive artist. His paintings move between the informalist tradition and Latin American conceptualisms.
The photographs in this show of his works from the late 1990s and 2000s function as an anthology, with the artist recapitulating his route: new works trace links to previous ones; drawings, sketches and photographs serve as guide.
Read a full biography of Clorindo Testa
Read "Between Visual Art and Architecture," a curatorial essay by Osvaldo Romberg