EXH 001         The Unnatural Art of the Garden. Roberto Burle Marx MoMA, NYC         1991

Header image © MoMA NYC
Text: MoMA NYC

Roberto Burle Marx: The Unnatural Art of the Garden is the Museum’s first exhibition devoted to a landscape architect.

Since the 1930s, Burle Marx has designed nearly 3.000 gardens, mainly in South America, ranging in scale from small private gardens to large public parks. Working in collaboration with such celebrated architects as Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and Rino Levi, he has been an integral figure in the development of the Brazilian cityscape. This exhibition presents ten major projects, including residential gardens, gardens for the workplace, and public parks, represented by plans, models, and photopanels. The exhibition also includes a selection of early drawings, an audio-visual presentation, and an installation design of real plant material.

Throughout his career, Burle Marx has sought to control nature by imposing on it his own creative vision, bringing his horticultural skills into symbiotic play with his artistic training. The precise lines and interlocking forms of his landscapes reveal his affinity for abstract art, notably the work of Arp, Calder, Leger, and Miró; many of his gardens also incorporate mosaics and sculpture of his own design. A consummate plantsman, he pioneered the use of exotic native flora in garden design. For more than forty years, he has also been an outspoken advocate for the protection of the Amazon rain forests.

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