FIELDTRIP: Burle Marx Park
In the world of landscape design, Roberto Burle Marx became known for being the first Brazilian landscape architect to break away from the old traditions of garden design. His work caught the attention of businessman Francisco Matarazzo Pignatari, also known as Baby Pignatari, who wanted the designer to curate the gardens of the house he was building in São Paulo.
The project went through a lot of back and forth, Pignatari’s involvement ending before the house was ever finished, but the garden that Burle Marx designed was completed. Though it lay abandoned for almost forty years, in the 90s, the city funded its restoration to be done by Burle Marx’s firm.
The garden covers 4000 square meters, featuring canopies of trees, a signature of Burle Marx’s work, a 700 meter lawn, and a reflective pool. With a wide variety of flora and fauna that have been carefully preserved, the gardens are considered an important historical and cultural site of São Paulo.
A film by Bettina Hanna.
