Art Encyclopedia:
Ricardo Legorreta |
(b Mexico City, 7 May 1931). Mexican architect and furniture designer, active also in the USA. He graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Arquitectura, Universidad Nacional Aut?noma de M?xico, Mexico City, in 1953. He began as a draughtsman in the studio of Jos? Villagr?n Garc?a, the leader of Mexican Functionalism, becoming his partner between 1955 and 1960. During this period he was a follower of the International Style, as seen in the Hotel Mar?a Isabel (1961-2; with Villagr?n Garc?a and Juan Sordo Madaleno), Mexico City. In 1960 he set up in partnership with No? Castro (b 1929) and Carlos Vargas (b 1938), specializing in the design of factories and office buildings, the most notable project of this period being the office building for Celanese Mexicana (1966-8; with Roberto Jean) in Mexico City, with its prismatic outline and technical brio in the use of the hanging structure. In the late 1960s, influenced by LUIS BARRAG?N and MATHIAS GOERITZ and his own strong sense of Mexican identity, Legorreta embraced 'emotional architecture' (see MEXICO,
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