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| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = July 6, 1905
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|7|6|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Coyoacán]], [[Mexico]]
| birth_place = [[Coyoacán]], Mexico
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1982|1|17|1905|7|6}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1982|1|17|1905|7|6|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]]
| death_place = Mexico City, Mexico
| nationality = Mexican
| spouse =
| spouse =
| field =
| field =
| training = [[Academy of San Carlos]], Art and Architecture School at [[UNAM|National Autonomous University]]
| training = [[Academy of San Carlos]]<br />Art and Architecture School at [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]]
| movement = [[functionalism (architecture)|Functionalism]], [[Mexican muralism]]
| movement = [[functionalism (architecture)|Functionalism]], [[Mexican muralism]]
| works =
| works =
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| awards =
| awards =
| elected =
| elected =
| website =
}}
}}
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'''Juan O'Gorman''' (6 July 1905 – 17 January 1982) was a Mexican painter and architect.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman {{!}} Mexican architect and muralist|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-OGorman|access-date=2020-07-07|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>


⚫
'''Juan O'Gorman''' (July 6, 1905 &ndash; January 17, 1982) was a [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[painter]] and [[architect]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman {{!}} Mexican architect and muralist|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-OGorman|access-date=2020-07-07|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
==Early life and family==
==Early life and family==
Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in [[Coyoacán]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.latinamericanart.com/en/artist/juan-ogorman/|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Latin American Art}}</ref><ref name="Danes2">{{cite journal|last1=Danes|first1=Gibson|date=1942|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43466639|journal=Southwest Review|volume=28|issue=1|pages=1–10|issn=0038-4712|accessdate=12 October 2020}}</ref> then a village to the south of [[Mexico City]] and now a borough of the [[Mexican Federal District|Federal District]], to an [[Irish immigration to Mexico|Irish immigrant]] father, [[Cecil Crawford O'Gorman|Cecil]] and Encarnación O'Gorman (nee O'Gorman). His parents were distant cousins. He had three younger siblings, [[Edmundo O'Gorman|Edmundo]], Margarita and Tomás.<ref name="Murray">{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Edmundo|title=O'Gorman, Edmundo (1906-1995), historian|url=http://irlandeses.org/dilab_ogormane.htm|accessdate=12 October 2020|website=Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Canales|first=Francisco Gonzales de|date=2015-06-12|title=Juan O’Gorman (1905-1982)|url=https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/reputations/juan-ogorman-1905-1982|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Architectural Review|language=en}}</ref> In the 1920s he studied [[architecture]] at the [[Academy of San Carlos]], the Art and Architecture school at the [[UNAM|National Autonomous University]].<ref name="Danes2" />
Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in [[Coyoacán]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.latinamericanart.com/en/artist/juan-ogorman/|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Latin American Art}}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Danes2">{{cite journal|last1=Danes|first1=Gibson|date=1942|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43466639|journal=Southwest Review|volume=28|issue=1|pages=1–10|jstor=43466639|issn=0038-4712|access-date=12 October 2020}}</ref> then a village to the south of [[Mexico City]] and now a [[Boroughs of Mexico City|borough]] of the city, to an [[Irish immigration to Mexico|Irish immigrant]] father, [[Cecil Crawford O'Gorman]] and Encarnación O'Gorman Moreno. His parents were distant cousins. He had three younger siblings, [[Edmundo O'Gorman|Edmundo]], Margarita and Tomás.<ref name="Murray">{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Edmundo|title=O'Gorman, Edmundo (1906-1995), historian|url=http://irlandeses.org/dilab_ogormane.htm|access-date=12 October 2020|website=Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Canales|first=Francisco Gonzales de|date=2015-06-12|title=Juan O'Gorman (1905-1982)|url=https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/reputations/juan-ogorman-1905-1982|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Architectural Review|language=en}}</ref> Despite his father's influence, O'Gorman chose to focus on architecture early in his career.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-OGorman|access-date=2022-07-12}}</ref> In 1927, he graduated from [[Academy of San Carlos]], the Art and Architecture school at the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]].<ref name="Danes2" />


His first marriage was to Nina Wright, Russian-American architect. He later married [[Helen Fowler]], an American artist with whom he had an adopted daughter.<ref name=":0" />
His first marriage was to Nina Wright, Russian-American architect. He later married [[Helen Fowler]], an American artist with whom he had an adopted daughter.<ref name=":0" />
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=== San Ángel houses ===
=== San Ángel houses ===
In 1929, Juan O'Gorman purchased a plot containing two tennis courts in Mexico City's San Ángel [[List of neighborhoods in Mexico City|colonia]]. On the plot, O'Gorman constructed a small house and studio intended for use by his father, now known as the Cecil O'Gorman House. The building's forms were strongly influenced by the work of [[Le Corbusier]], whose theories of architecture O'Gorman studied.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mascontext.com/issues/27-debate-fall-15/the-personal-debate-of-juan-ogorman/|title=The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman|date=2015-12-17|website=MAS CONTEXT|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Traynor|first=Jessica|date=2018-12-26|title=Juan O’Gorman, architect behind Mexico City’s most intriguing buildings|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/juan-o-gorman-architect-behind-mexico-city-s-most-intriguing-buildings-1.3736691|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-12|website=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Quinn|first=Gary|date=2007-06-21|title=Rediscovering our man in Mexico City, Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/rediscovering-our-man-in-mexico-city-juan-o-gorman-1.1211437|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-12|website=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> O'Gorman dubbed the house first functionalist structure in Latin America.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYWzBgAAQBAJ&q=tennis+court+o%27gorman&pg=PA71|title=Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia|last1=Carranza|first1=Luis E.|last2=Lara|first2=Fernando Luiz|date=2015-01-05|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76297-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Danes2" />
In 1929, O'Gorman purchased a plot containing two tennis courts in Mexico City's San Ángel [[List of neighborhoods in Mexico City|colonia]]. On the plot, O'Gorman constructed a small house and studio intended for use by his father, now known as the Cecil O'Gorman House. The building's forms were strongly influenced by the work of [[Le Corbusier]], whose theories of architecture O'Gorman studied.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mascontext.com/issues/27-debate-fall-15/the-personal-debate-of-juan-ogorman/|title=The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman|date=2015-12-17|website=MAS CONTEXT|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Traynor|first=Jessica|date=2018-12-26|title=Juan O'Gorman, architect behind Mexico City's most intriguing buildings|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/juan-o-gorman-architect-behind-mexico-city-s-most-intriguing-buildings-1.3736691|access-date=2020-10-12|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Quinn|first=Gary|date=2007-06-21|title=Rediscovering our man in Mexico City, Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/rediscovering-our-man-in-mexico-city-juan-o-gorman-1.1211437|access-date=2020-10-12|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> O'Gorman dubbed the house the first functionalist structure in Latin America.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYWzBgAAQBAJ&q=tennis+court+o%27gorman&pg=PA71|title=Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia|last1=Carranza|first1=Luis E.|last2=Lara|first2=Fernando Luiz|date=2015-01-05|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76297-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Danes2" />


Diego Rivera, a contemporary of O'Gorman, impressed with the design of the Cecil O'Gorman House, commissioned the architect to design a home for him and [[Frida Kahlo]] on an adjacent plot (O'Gorman and Kahlo had been friends since high school in Coyoacan).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro |first=Claudio |date=2021-02-02 |title=A Mexico City Tour of Architect Juan O'Gorman’s Design Legacy |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/a-mexico-city-tour-of-architect-juan-ogormans-design-legacy |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US}}</ref> The house was built in a similar functionalist style from 1931 to 1932.<ref name="Danes2" /><ref name=":0" /> The Rivera-Kahlo house was two houses connected by a bridge.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Juan O'Gorman|url=http://architectuul.com/architect/juan-o-gorman|access-date=2020-10-13|website=architectuul.com|archive-date=2020-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018102322/http://architectuul.com/architect/juan-o-gorman|url-status=dead}}</ref> Both houses were purchased to be restored and opened to the public with the [[Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio Museum|Rivera-Kahlo house]] operating as a museum.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Orzechowski|first=Alan Rojas|date=2018-01-17|title=Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio|url=https://www.iconichouses.org/news/restoring-the-past-the-diego-rivera-and-frida-kahlo-home-studio|access-date=2020-10-13|website=www.iconichouses.org|language=en}}</ref>
Diego Rivera, a contemporary of O'Gorman, impressed with the design of the Cecil O'Gorman House, commissioned the architect to design a home for him and [[Frida Kahlo]] on an adjacent plot. The house was built in a similar functionalist style from 1931 to 1932.<ref name="Danes2" /><ref name=":0" /><gallery>

<gallery>
File:FridaDiegoSanAngel049.jpg|The 1929 Cecil O'Gorman House
File:FridaDiegoSanAngel049.jpg|The 1929 Cecil O'Gorman House
File:DETALLE ESCALERA CASA JUAN O GORMAN, ATRAS FACHADA CASA-ESTUDIO FRIDA KAHLO SAN ANGEL INN MEXICO DF CLAUDIA AGUILAR.jpg|The exterior staircase of the Cecil O'Gorman house.
File:DETALLE ESCALERA CASA JUAN O GORMAN, ATRAS FACHADA CASA-ESTUDIO FRIDA KAHLO SAN ANGEL INN MEXICO DF CLAUDIA AGUILAR.jpg|The exterior staircase of the Cecil O'Gorman house.
File:San-Angel-Casa-Rivera-Kahlo.jpg|The Rivera-Kahlo house as visible from the street
File:San-Angel-Casa-Rivera-Kahlo.jpg|The Rivera-Kahlo house as visible from the street
File:FACHADA CASA-ESTUDIO DIEGO RIVERA SAN ANGEL INN MEXICO DF CLAUDIA AGUILAR.jpg|A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera-Kahlo house
File:FACHADA CASA-ESTUDIO DIEGO RIVERA SAN ANGEL INN MEXICO DF CLAUDIA AGUILAR.jpg|A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera-Kahlo house
File:Vista externa del Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo.jpg|Panorama of Rivera-Kahlo house
</gallery>
</gallery>


=== Schools ===
=== Schools ===
In 1932, [[Narciso Bassols]], then [[Secretariat of Public Education|Secretary of Education]], appointed O'Gorman to the position of Head of Architectural Office of the Ministry of Public Education, where he went on to design and build 26 elementary schools in Mexico City.<ref name=":0" /> The schools were built with the philosophy of "eliminating all architectural style and executing constructions technically."{{citation needed |date=December 2012}}
In 1932, [[Narciso Bassols]], then [[Secretariat of Public Education|Secretary of Education]], appointed O'Gorman to the position of Head of Architectural Office of the Ministry of Public Education, where he went on to design and build 26 elementary schools in Mexico City.<ref name=":0" /> The schools were built with the philosophy of "eliminating all architectural style and executing constructions technically."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fraser|first=Valerie|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45912935|title=Building the new world : studies in the modern architecture of Latin America, 1930-1960|publisher=Verso|year=2000|isbn=1-85984-307-7|location=London|pages=47|oclc=45912935}}</ref>


After 6 years of functionalist projects, O'Gorman turned away from strict functionalism later in life to focus on painting and murals, including works at the Mexico City airport in 1937 <ref>{{Cite web |title=Murray, Edmundo: "Irish-Mexican Brothers: Edmundo and Juan O'Gorman" |url=https://www.irlandeses.org/ogormans.htm |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.irlandeses.org}}</ref> and "Credit Transforms Mexico" for the International Bank on Reforma Avenue, now moved to HSBC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Tanya |date=2020-11-21 |title=Juan O’Gorman- 13 Iconic Projects |url=https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/design-studio/a2146-juan-ogorman-13-iconic-projects/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RTF {{!}} Rethinking The Future |language=en-US}}</ref>
After 6 years of functionalist projects, O'Gorman turned away from strict functionalism later in life and worked to develop an [[organic architecture]], combining the influence of [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] with traditional Mexican constructions.


After being asked by [[Edgar J. Kaufmann|Edgar Kaufmann Sr.]] to submit a proposal for murals for the Pittsburgh Young Men's & Women's Hebrew Association, O'Gorman spent a weekend at Fallingwater, which inspired him to return to architecture,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-05 |title=Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Fascinating Connections to Fallingwater |url=https://www.thenotsoinnocentsabroad.com/blog/frida-kahlo-and-diego-riveras-fascinating-connections-to-fallingwater |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=The Not So Innocents Abroad |language=en-US}}</ref> this time a more [[organic architecture]], combining the influence of [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] with traditional Mexican constructions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=O’Sullivan|first=Lucy|date=2019-04-03|title=Diego Rivera and Juan O'Gorman: Post-Revolutionary Architectural Anatomies|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13569325.2019.1616166|journal=Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies|language=en|volume=28|issue=2|pages=253–275|doi=10.1080/13569325.2019.1616166|s2cid=198068606|issn=1356-9325}}</ref>
=== Later work ===
⚫
His paintings often treated Mexican history, landscape, and legends. A mural commission in [[Pátzcuaro]], Michoacan resulted in the huge "La historia de Michoacán" in the Biblioteca Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra in a former church.<ref>Jolly, Jennifer, ''Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building Under Lázaro Cárdenas''. Austin: University of Texas Press 2018. {{ISBN|978-1477-314203}}</ref> He painted the murals in the Independence Room in Mexico City's [[Chapultepec Castle]], and the huge [[mural]]s of his own 1952 [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library]] of the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]], designed with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco.

⚫
In 1959, together with fellow artists, [[Raúl Anguiano]], [[Jesús Guerrero Galván]], and [[Carlos Orozco Romero]], O'Gorman founded the militant Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México (Mexican Painters and Engravers Union).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=Edmundo|title=Ireland and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851096145|editor1-last=Byrne|editor1-first=James P.|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=709-710|editor2-last=Coleman|editor2-first=Philip|editor3-last=King|editor3-first=Jason}}</ref>


⚫
===Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM)===
⚫
He died on 17 January 1982, as a result of suicide. Authorities believe the artist grew despondent after being diagnosed with a heart ailment which curtailed his work. O'Gorman was found dead at his home.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=1982-01-20|title=Juan O'Gorman, 76; Painter and Architect|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/20/obituaries/juan-o-gorman-76-painter-and-architect.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
{{Main|Central Library (UNAM)}}


⚫
==Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM)==
[[File:Biblioteca unam.JPG|thumb|O'Gorman's mural ''Historical Representation of Culture'' on the [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library at UNAM]]]]
[[File:Biblioteca unam.JPG|thumb|O'Gorman's mural ''Historical Representation of Culture'' on the [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library at UNAM]]]]
Juan O'Gorman's most celebrated work due to its creativity, construction technique, and dimensions, are the four thousand square meters murals covering the four faces of the building of the [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library]] at Ciudad Universitaria at UNAM. These murals are mosaics made from millions of colored stones that he gathered all around Mexico in order to be able to obtain the different colors he needed.<ref name=":1" /> The north side pictures Mexico's pre-Hispanic past and the south facade its colonial one, while the east wall depicts the contemporary world, and the west shows the university and contemporary Mexico.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}
Juan O'Gorman's most celebrated work due to its creativity, construction technique, and dimensions, are the four thousand square meters murals covering the four faces of the building of the [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library]] at {{Lang|es|Ciudad Universitaria|italic=no}} at UNAM. These murals are mosaics made from millions of colored stones that he gathered all around Mexico in order to be able to obtain the different colors he needed.<ref name=":1" /> The north side pictures Mexico's pre-Hispanic past and the south facade its colonial one, while the east wall depicts the contemporary world, and the west shows the university and contemporary Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-09|title=Architectural Classics: Central Library, Ciudad Universitaria / Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.archdaily.com/943125/architectural-classics-central-library-ciudad-universitaria-juan-ogorman|access-date=2020-10-13|website=ArchDaily|language=en-US}}</ref>


"From the beginning, I had the idea of making mosaics of colored stones in the walls of the collections, with a technique in which I was already well experienced. With these mosaics the library would be different from the other buildings of Ciudad Universitaria, and it would be given a particular Mexican character."<ref>{{cite web|url = http://bibliotecacentral.unam.mx/murales04.html|website = Biblioteca Central UNAM|title = Creación del mural}}</ref>
<blockquote>From the beginning, I had the idea of making mosaics of colored stones in the walls of the collections, with a technique in which I was already well experienced. With these mosaics the library would be different from the other buildings of {{Lang|es|Ciudad Universitaria|italic=no}}, and it would be given a particular Mexican character.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://bibliotecacentral.unam.mx/murales04.html|website = Biblioteca Central UNAM|title = Creación del mural|access-date = 2015-10-03|archive-date = 2015-10-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004210818/http://bibliotecacentral.unam.mx/murales04.html|url-status = dead}}</ref></blockquote>


== Awards ==
=== Later work ===
O'Gorman built and designed his own house in the suburb of Pedregal,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gallanti|first=Fabrizio|date=2015-12-17|title=The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman|url=https://www.mascontext.com/issues/27-debate-fall-15/the-personal-debate-of-juan-ogorman/|access-date=2020-10-13|website=MAS CONTEXT|language=en-US}}</ref> which was part built structure part natural cave, which is known as "The Cave House" from 1953 to 1956. It was decorated with mosaics throughout. It was demolished in 1969.<ref name=":3" />
⚫
*[[National Prize for Arts and Sciences]] of "fine arts", 1972.


⚫
His paintings often treated Mexican history, landscape, and legends. A mural commission in [[Pátzcuaro]], Michoacan resulted in the huge "La historia de Michoacán" in the Biblioteca Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra in a former church.<ref>Jolly, Jennifer, ''Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building Under Lázaro Cárdenas''. Austin: University of Texas Press 2018. {{ISBN|978-1477-314203}}</ref> He painted the murals in the Independence Room in Mexico City's [[Chapultepec Castle]], and the huge [[mural]]s of his own 1952 [[Central Library (UNAM)|Central Library]] of the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]], designed with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco.
⚫
==See also==
⚫
*[[Mexican Muralism]]
⚫
*[[:Category:Modernist architecture in Mexico|Modernist architecture in Mexico]]


⚫
In 1959, together with fellow artists, [[Raúl Anguiano]], [[Jesús Guerrero Galván]], and [[Carlos Orozco Romero]], O'Gorman founded the militant Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México (Mexican Painters and Engravers Union).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=Edmundo|title=Ireland and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851096145|editor1-last=Byrne|editor1-first=James P.|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=709–710|editor2-last=Coleman|editor2-first=Philip|editor3-last=King|editor3-first=Jason}}</ref>
⚫
==References==

⚫
{{reflist}}
== Death ==
[[File:Juan O'Gorman 1950, autorretrato.jpg|thumb|Juan O'Gorman, 1950, self-portrait at the age of 45.]]
⚫
He died on 17 January 1982, as a result of suicide. Authorities believe the artist grew despondent after being diagnosed with a heart ailment which curtailed his work. O'Gorman was found dead at his home.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=1982-01-20|title=Juan O'Gorman, 76; Painter and Architect|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/20/obituaries/juan-o-gorman-76-painter-and-architect.html|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Awards ==
⚫
*[[National Prize for Arts and Sciences]] of "fine arts", 1972.


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
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*{{cite book |last=Burian |first=Edward R. |chapter=Modernity and Nationalism: Juan O'Gorman and Post-Revolutionary Architecture in Mexico, 1920-1960 |title=Cruelty & Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvujtkuP4BMC&pg=PP1 |editor-first=Jean-François |editor-last=LeJeune |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |location=New York |year=2005 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XvujtkuP4BMC&pg=PA210 210–223] |isbn=1-56898-489-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Burian |first=Edward R. |chapter=Modernity and Nationalism: Juan O'Gorman and Post-Revolutionary Architecture in Mexico, 1920-1960 |title=Cruelty & Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvujtkuP4BMC&pg=PP1 |editor-first=Jean-François |editor-last=LeJeune |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |location=New York |year=2005 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XvujtkuP4BMC&pg=PA210 210–223] |isbn=1-56898-489-8}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Gorman |first=Juan |title=Juan O'Gorman |others=Inv. y coord. documental Ida Rodríguez Prampolini, Olga Sáenz y Elizabeth Fuentes |location=México |publisher=UNAM-Coordinación de Humanidades}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Gorman |first=Juan |title=Juan O'Gorman |others=Inv. y coord. documental Ida Rodríguez Prampolini, Olga Sáenz y Elizabeth Fuentes |location=México |publisher=UNAM-Coordinación de Humanidades}}
* {{cite book |last= |first= |title=O'Gorman |location=México |publisher=Grupo Financiero Bital |year=1999}}
* {{cite book |title=O'Gorman |location=México |publisher=Grupo Financiero Bital |year=1999}}
* {{cite book |last=Prampolini |first=Ida Rodríguez |title=Juan O'Gorman, arquitecto y pintor |location=México |publisher=UNAM-Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas |year=1983}}
* {{cite book |last=Prampolini |first=Ida Rodríguez |title=Juan O'Gorman, arquitecto y pintor |location=México |publisher=UNAM-Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas |year=1983}}
* {{cite book |last=Frasier |first=Valerie |title=Building the New World: Modern Architecture in Latin America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KW3iUG4VPq0C&pg=PP1 |publisher=Verso |year=2000 |isbn=1-85984-787-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Frasier |first=Valerie |title=Building the New World: Modern Architecture in Latin America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KW3iUG4VPq0C&pg=PP1 |publisher=Verso |year=2000 |isbn=1-85984-787-0}}

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==See also==
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*[[Mexican Muralism]]
⚫
*[[:Category:Modernist architecture in Mexico|Modernist architecture in Mexico]]


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Cooke|first= Catherine Nixon|title=Juan O'Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations|publisher=Trinity University Press |year=2016}}
* {{cite book |last= Cooke|first= Catherine Nixon|title=Juan O'Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations|publisher=Trinity University Press |year=2016}}

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==References==
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{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:Architecture firms of Mexico]]
[[Category:Architecture firms of Mexico]]
[[Category:National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni]]
[[Category:National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni]]
[[Category:Artists who committed suicide]]
[[Category:Artists who died by suicide]]
[[Category:Mexican people of Irish descent]]
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[[Category:20th-century Mexican architects]]
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Latest revision as of 21:23, 11 December 2024

Juan O'Gorman
Born(1905-07-06)6 July 1905
Coyoacán, Mexico
Died17 January 1982(1982-01-17) (aged 76)
Mexico City, Mexico
EducationAcademy of San Carlos
Art and Architecture School at National Autonomous University of Mexico
MovementFunctionalism, Mexican muralism
Patron(s)Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo

Juan O'Gorman (6 July 1905 – 17 January 1982) was a Mexican painter and architect.[1]

Early life and family

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Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in Coyoacán,[2][3] then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the city, to an Irish immigrant father, Cecil Crawford O'Gorman and Encarnación O'Gorman Moreno. His parents were distant cousins. He had three younger siblings, Edmundo, Margarita and Tomás.[4][5] Despite his father's influence, O'Gorman chose to focus on architecture early in his career.[6] In 1927, he graduated from Academy of San Carlos, the Art and Architecture school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.[3]

His first marriage was to Nina Wright, Russian-American architect. He later married Helen Fowler, an American artist with whom he had an adopted daughter.[5]

Career

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San Ángel houses

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In 1929, O'Gorman purchased a plot containing two tennis courts in Mexico City's San Ángel colonia. On the plot, O'Gorman constructed a small house and studio intended for use by his father, now known as the Cecil O'Gorman House. The building's forms were strongly influenced by the work of Le Corbusier, whose theories of architecture O'Gorman studied.[7][8][9] O'Gorman dubbed the house the first functionalist structure in Latin America.[10][3]

Diego Rivera, a contemporary of O'Gorman, impressed with the design of the Cecil O'Gorman House, commissioned the architect to design a home for him and Frida Kahlo on an adjacent plot (O'Gorman and Kahlo had been friends since high school in Coyoacan).[11] The house was built in a similar functionalist style from 1931 to 1932.[3][5] The Rivera-Kahlo house was two houses connected by a bridge.[12] Both houses were purchased to be restored and opened to the public with the Rivera-Kahlo house operating as a museum.[13]

  • The 1929 Cecil O'Gorman House
    The 1929 Cecil O'Gorman House
  • The exterior staircase of the Cecil O'Gorman house.
    The exterior staircase of the Cecil O'Gorman house.
  • The Rivera-Kahlo house as visible from the street
    The Rivera-Kahlo house as visible from the street
  • A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera-Kahlo house
    A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera-Kahlo house
  • Panorama of Rivera-Kahlo house
    Panorama of Rivera-Kahlo house

Schools

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In 1932, Narciso Bassols, then Secretary of Education, appointed O'Gorman to the position of Head of Architectural Office of the Ministry of Public Education, where he went on to design and build 26 elementary schools in Mexico City.[5] The schools were built with the philosophy of "eliminating all architectural style and executing constructions technically."[14]

After 6 years of functionalist projects, O'Gorman turned away from strict functionalism later in life to focus on painting and murals, including works at the Mexico City airport in 1937 [15] and "Credit Transforms Mexico" for the International Bank on Reforma Avenue, now moved to HSBC.[16]

After being asked by Edgar Kaufmann Sr. to submit a proposal for murals for the Pittsburgh Young Men's & Women's Hebrew Association, O'Gorman spent a weekend at Fallingwater, which inspired him to return to architecture,[17] this time a more organic architecture, combining the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright with traditional Mexican constructions.[18]

Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM)

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Main article: Central Library (UNAM)
O'Gorman's mural Historical Representation of Culture on the Central Library at UNAM

Juan O'Gorman's most celebrated work due to its creativity, construction technique, and dimensions, are the four thousand square meters murals covering the four faces of the building of the Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria at UNAM. These murals are mosaics made from millions of colored stones that he gathered all around Mexico in order to be able to obtain the different colors he needed.[8] The north side pictures Mexico's pre-Hispanic past and the south facade its colonial one, while the east wall depicts the contemporary world, and the west shows the university and contemporary Mexico.[19]

From the beginning, I had the idea of making mosaics of colored stones in the walls of the collections, with a technique in which I was already well experienced. With these mosaics the library would be different from the other buildings of Ciudad Universitaria, and it would be given a particular Mexican character.[20]

Later work

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O'Gorman built and designed his own house in the suburb of Pedregal,[21] which was part built structure part natural cave, which is known as "The Cave House" from 1953 to 1956. It was decorated with mosaics throughout. It was demolished in 1969.[12]

His paintings often treated Mexican history, landscape, and legends. A mural commission in Pátzcuaro, Michoacan resulted in the huge "La historia de Michoacán" in the Biblioteca Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra in a former church.[22] He painted the murals in the Independence Room in Mexico City's Chapultepec Castle, and the huge murals of his own 1952 Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, designed with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco.

In 1959, together with fellow artists, Raúl Anguiano, Jesús Guerrero Galván, and Carlos Orozco Romero, O'Gorman founded the militant Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México (Mexican Painters and Engravers Union).[23]

Death

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Juan O'Gorman, 1950, self-portrait at the age of 45.

He died on 17 January 1982, as a result of suicide. Authorities believe the artist grew despondent after being diagnosed with a heart ailment which curtailed his work. O'Gorman was found dead at his home.[5][9][24]

Awards

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Bibliography

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  • Burian, Edward R. (1997). "The Architecture of Juan O'Gorman: Dichotomy and Drift". Modernity and the Architecture of Mexico. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70852-1.
  • Burian, Edward R. (2005). "Modernity and Nationalism: Juan O'Gorman and Post-Revolutionary Architecture in Mexico, 1920-1960". In LeJeune, Jean-François (ed.). Cruelty & Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. pp. 210–223. ISBN 1-56898-489-8.
  • O'Gorman, Juan. Juan O'Gorman. Inv. y coord. documental Ida Rodríguez Prampolini, Olga Sáenz y Elizabeth Fuentes. México: UNAM-Coordinación de Humanidades.
  • O'Gorman. México: Grupo Financiero Bital. 1999.
  • Prampolini, Ida Rodríguez (1983). Juan O'Gorman, arquitecto y pintor. México: UNAM-Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas.
  • Frasier, Valerie (2000). Building the New World: Modern Architecture in Latin America. Verso. ISBN 1-85984-787-0.

See also

[edit]

Further reading

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  • Cooke, Catherine Nixon (2016). Juan O'Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations. Trinity University Press.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Juan O'Gorman | Mexican architect and muralist". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  2. ^ "Juan O'Gorman". Latin American Art. Retrieved 2020-10-12.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c d Danes, Gibson (1942). "Juan O'Gorman". Southwest Review. 28 (1): 1–10. ISSN 0038-4712. JSTOR 43466639. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  4. ^ Murray, Edmundo. "O'Gorman, Edmundo (1906-1995), historian". Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e Canales, Francisco Gonzales de (2015-06-12). "Juan O'Gorman (1905-1982)". Architectural Review. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. ^ "Juan O'Gorman". Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  7. ^ "The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman". MAS CONTEXT. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  8. ^ a b Traynor, Jessica (2018-12-26). "Juan O'Gorman, architect behind Mexico City's most intriguing buildings". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  9. ^ a b Quinn, Gary (2007-06-21). "Rediscovering our man in Mexico City, Juan O'Gorman". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. ^ Carranza, Luis E.; Lara, Fernando Luiz (2015-01-05). Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-76297-8.
  11. ^ Castro, Claudio (2021-02-02). "A Mexico City Tour of Architect Juan O'Gorman's Design Legacy". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  12. ^ a b "Juan O'Gorman". architectuul.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  13. ^ Orzechowski, Alan Rojas (2018-01-17). "Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio". www.iconichouses.org. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  14. ^ Fraser, Valerie (2000). Building the new world : studies in the modern architecture of Latin America, 1930-1960. London: Verso. p. 47. ISBN 1-85984-307-7. OCLC 45912935.
  15. ^ "Murray, Edmundo: "Irish-Mexican Brothers: Edmundo and Juan O'Gorman"". www.irlandeses.org. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  16. ^ Gupta, Tanya (2020-11-21). "Juan O'Gorman- 13 Iconic Projects". RTF | Rethinking The Future. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  17. ^ "Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's Fascinating Connections to Fallingwater". The Not So Innocents Abroad. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  18. ^ O’Sullivan, Lucy (2019-04-03). "Diego Rivera and Juan O'Gorman: Post-Revolutionary Architectural Anatomies". Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies. 28 (2): 253–275. doi:10.1080/13569325.2019.1616166. ISSN 1356-9325. S2CID 198068606.
  19. ^ "Architectural Classics: Central Library, Ciudad Universitaria / Juan O'Gorman". ArchDaily. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  20. ^ "Creación del mural". Biblioteca Central UNAM. Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
  21. ^ Gallanti, Fabrizio (2015-12-17). "The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman". MAS CONTEXT. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  22. ^ Jolly, Jennifer, Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building Under Lázaro Cárdenas. Austin: University of Texas Press 2018. ISBN 978-1477-314203
  23. ^ Murray, Edmundo (2008). Byrne, James P.; Coleman, Philip; King, Jason (eds.). Ireland and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 709–710. ISBN 9781851096145.
  24. ^ "Juan O'Gorman, 76; Painter and Architect". The New York Times. 1982-01-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
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