Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009

Barragan House living room, 1947Courtesy of the Watari-Um Art Museum

Considered the most important Mexican architect of the 20th century (thanks, Wikipedia), Luis Barragan is the focus of a new exhibition associated with the 400th anniversary celebrations of relations between Mexico and Japan. Celebrated for his warm, humanistic interpretation of Modernism, Barragan put his stamp on Mexico City in a variety of buildings and developments. For this retrospective, cutting-edge Japanese architectural firm SANAA is partially reconstructing a house that Barragan built as his own refuge in the suburbs of Mexico City.

The Watari-Um Museum of Contemporary Art, Sep 9-Jan 24. See exhibition listings (Harajuku/Aoyama) for details.