Mario Palanti (September 20, 1885 – September 4, 1978) was an Italian architect who designed important buildings in the capital cities of both

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and Uruguay.

Life and career

Born in 1885 in Milan, Italy, the brother of painter Giuseppe Palanti, Palanti studied architecture in the

Brera Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di ...

and in the Politecnico di Milano university. Mario was the son of Giovanni Palanti, a carpenter, and of Virginia De Gasperi, a dressmaker. (PhD dissertation) Soon after graduation he received a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Brussels and arrived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South Am ...

in 1909 with a commission to manage, with the help of his compatriot,

Francisco Gianotti Francesco Gianotti (''Francisco'' in Spanish; April 4, 1881February 13, 1967) was an Italian architect who designed many important Art Nouveau buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born in 1881 in Lanzo, near Turin, Italy, he graduated as an arc ...

, the construction of the Italian Pavilion for the

Exposición Internacional del Centenario (1910) The Exposición Internacional del Centenario (Centennial International Exposition) was an exhibition held between May and November 1910 in Buenos Aires, to commemorate the Centennial of the May Revolution in Argentina (the formation of the first l ...

. For nearly 20 years he worked on both sides of the River Plate for wealthy compatriot clients. During the period 1909-1919 his designs employed variations of Renaissance Revival and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

styles and there then followed a period during which he carried out his most impressive work in Buenos Aires including

Palacio Barolo Palacio Barolo is a landmark office building, located at 1370 Avenida de Mayo, in the neighborhood of Montserrat, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It stood as Buenos Aires' tallest building for more than a decade until the construction of the Kavanagh Buil ...

and Hotel Castelar, both in

Avenida de Mayo May Avenue ( es, Avenida de Mayo) is an avenue in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. It connects the Plaza de Mayo with Congressional Plaza, and extends in a west–east direction before merging into Rivadavia Avenue. History and overview B ...

; an apartment building on the corner of

Santa Fe Avenue Avenida Santa Fe is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The artery is essential to the imaginary axis of Barrio Norte in Buenos Aires, comprising the areas influenced by the route of the avenue through Retiro, Recole ...

and

Callao Avenue Callao Avenue ( es, Avenida Callao) is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Overview Mayor Torcuato de Alvear, inspired by the urban redevelopment works in Paris at the direction of Baron Haussmann, drew up master pla ...

; and Palacio Chrysler (today known as Palacio Alcorta) which had an automobile test track on its roof, similar to the first FIAT factory in Turin. During this period he also designed the Palacio Salvo in Montevideo, and produced a large number of drawings for monumental buildings that were never built. In the final period of his work, after he returned to live in Italy in 1930, he undertook a series of projects that never materialised. He was the inventor of Palandomus. Palanti died in his native Milan in 1978. He was interred in the Civico Mausoleo Palanti, a

Cimitero Monumentale di Milano The Cimitero Monumentale ("Monumental Cemetery") is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, Italy, the other one being the Cimitero Maggiore. It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Designed by the architect Carlo Ma ...

mausoleum for notable local citizens of his own design.

Notable works

Orders

Order of the Crown of Italy, Commander

Bibliography

* Mario Palanti, ''Prima esposizione personale d'architettura nella Repubblica Argentina'', Milano, Stab. di arti grafiche Rizzoli e Pizzio, 191

Università di Bologna * Mario Palanti, ''Cinque anni di lavoro'', Casa Editrice de Arte Bestetti & Tumminelli, 1924 - 152 pagine * Mario Palanti, ''Auditorium: progetti'', Roma, anno XIII E.F., Editore Rizzoli, 1935 - 33 pagine * Mario Palanti, ''Torre Littoria: progetti'', Milano, anno XIII E.F, Editore Rizzoli, 1935 - 46 pagine * Mario Palanti, ''Architettura per tutti'', editore E. Bestetti, 1946 - 303 pagine * Mimi Böhm, Buenos Aires, Art Nouveau, Ediciones Xavier Verstraeten, Buenos Aires, 2005.

References

External links