Rogelio Salmona (April 28, 1929 – October 3, 2007) was a
French Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. He was noted for his extensive use of red brick in his buildings and for using natural shapes like spirals, radial geometry and curves in his designs. During the latter part of his life, Salmona gained renown thanks to awards like the first prize at the 1986, 1988, and 1990 Colombian Architecture Biennials, and the
Alvar Aalto Medal in 2003. His works are highly representative of Colombian architecture at the end of the twentieth century.
Early life and education
Salmona was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, but moved at an early age to
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, where he studied at the French Lyceum Louis Pasteur. Upon graduating, he enrolled in the architecture program at the
National University of Colombia, then led by German and Italian architects
Leopoldo Rother and Bruno Violi. During Le Corbusier's trip to Colombia in 1947, young Salmona was invited by the great architect to work with him at his atelier in Paris. In 1948, Salmona interrupted his studies in Colombia due to the
Bogotazo
El Bogotazo (from "Bogotá" and the ''-azo'' suffix of violent augmentation) refers to the massive riots that followed the assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on 9 April 19 ...
political revolt and returned to Paris. In France, he worked as draftsman for
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
for about a decade, assisting in the design of projects like the Marseilles block, the Pilot Plan for Bogotá, Notre Dame du Haut, and Chandigarh. Later, he went on to study the sociology of art with
Pierre Francastel
Pierre Francastel (8 June 1900 – 2 January 1970) was a French art historian, best known for his use of sociological method.
Francastel's initial period of study was in literature, at the Sorbonne. He worked in building conservation at Versaill ...
, developing a critical vision of modern architecture.
At the end of his long apprenticeship, Salmona traveled to Spain, where he discovered Islamic architecture. The brickwork in Granada, in particular, had a lasting influence on his work. Upon returning to Colombia, Salmona graduated as architect at the Universidad de los Andes in 1962.
Career
![Torres_del_parque_torre_B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Torres_del_parque_torre_B.JPG)
Though Salmona traveled widely, enriching his theory of architecture, he spent the rest of his life in Colombia, where he was commissioned to design many important projects (see Public Works, and Private Buildings, below). His first major project was Torres del Parque (1964–70), comprising three residential towers and a park at the center of Bogotá. With its curves and stepped balconies, it is a complex design that many consider his masterpiece. He lived there for the rest of his life.
Other notable buildings include the National University Human Sciences Postgraduate Centre (1995–2000) and the Virgilio Barco Public Library (1999–2001), a landmark in the north of Bogotá.
[
During the 1980s, Salmona promoted conferences on Latin American architecture in Cali (1980) and Manizales (1987). These seminars contributed to the improvement of the exchange of information among Latin American countries, enriching the architectural dialogue throughout the region.
One of the main characteristics of his work is the conscious and careful use of water, that moves through canals and forms reflective surfaces; in fact Salmona liked to make people realize about how difficult human existence was by making all these ponds almost impossible to maintain. Other innovative use of water was the one he proposed using leaks and humidity stains: there is the popular belief (probably not true) that he used to say "one water leak for every room and one loose brick in every floor".
He died from ]cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
on October 3, 2007.
Quotes
"I am just an architect. Nothing more. Or should I say: somebody who is trying to be one. Because becoming an architect is very difficult. You never know what part of what you do has any validity. Time tells it. Good architecture will become ruins. Bad architecture disappears. But for you to know it is a ruin, you have to wait a lot of time. I hope the el ParqueTowers not to be ruins today but one thousand years from now".
"That thing about time being gold is a big stupidity. Time is life. I am interested in living it."
Public works
* President's House for Illustrious Guests, Cartagena (1978–1981)
* Bogotá Museum of Modern Art
The Bogotá Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO) is a modern art museum located in Bogotá, Colombia. It was designed by architect Rogelio Salmona.
History
The Museum was founded by Gloria Zea, who died 11 March 2019, aged 83.
See also
*Museum of Mode ...
(MAMBO), Bogotá (1971–1988)
* Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Center, Bogotá (1980-unfinished)
* National General Archives, Bogotá (1988–1992)
* Graduate School Building (Faculty of Human Sciences) at the National University, Bogotá
* Quimbaya Museum
Quimbaya Museum is a museum located in Armenia, Colombia designed by Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona. It displays a large collection of precolumbian artcrafts, about 390 gold objects, 104 pottery, 22 stone sculptures, carved woods, and other is ...
, Armenia (1983–1986)
* FES (Superior Studies Foundation) Headquarters, Cali (1987–1990)
* Vicepresidential House, Bogotá (1994–2005)
* Virgilio Barco Public Library, Bogotá (1999–2001)
* Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Center, Bogotá (2004–2008)
Private buildings
* ''El Polo'' residential complex, Bogotá (1959)
* The Headquarters of the Society of Colombian Architects, Bogotá (1961–1970)
* The Free University High School, Bogotá (1962)
* Christian Foundation housing complex, Bogotá (1963)
* ''Del Parque'' Towers, Bogotá (1964–1970)
* Alba House, Bogotá (1969, now demolished)
* Alto de Pinos complex (1975–1981)
* Various houses in the Sabana de Bogotá: Casa Puente, Suba (1976); Pasohondo, Tabio (1979); Sotará, Tenjo (1989); and three houses in Cota (1992).
* ''Nueva Santa Fe'' housing complex and community center, Bogotá (1985–1994; 1994–1997)
* The ''Timiza'' residential complex, Bogotá
* House of the Writer (owned by Gabriel García Márquez), Cartagena (1992–1995)
* Gimnasio Fontana, Guaymaral (1992–2002)
* Riofrío House, Riofrío (1997–2000)
* Alto Chicó Concrete House, Bogotá (2001–2003)
* Altazor House, Torca (2002–2004)
* Chico Norte (owned by Guillermo Gomez Botero), Bogotá, Colombia
Unfinished projects
Together with his wife and partner, María Elvira Madriñán, Salmona worked on a series of future projects, which include:
* French Cultural Center (Alliance Française), Bogotá
--> The building has been inaugurated on September the 30th of 2010.
* Valmaría Campus (National Pedagogic University), Bogotá
* University Cultural Center (University of Caldas), Manizales
--> The first phase of this building was completed in 2018.
* La Candelaria residential project, Bogotá
* New wing for the MAMBO (Modern Art Museum of Bogotá), Bogotá
Some of these buildings are currently undergoing construction.
Gallery of works
Image:PosgradosdehumanidadesEspejoUN.JPG, The Graduate School Building of the Faculty of Human Sciences at the National University campus in Bogotá
Image:Ejeambiental.jpg, The Environmental Axis along Jiménez Avenue in downtown Bogotá
Image:Maria Claudia Cali edificio FES.jpg, The FES Building in Cali
Image:Biblioteca Virgilio.jpg, The Virgilio Barco
Virgilio Barco Vargas (17 September 1921 – 20 May 1997) was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 27th President of Colombia serving from 7 August 1986 to 7 August 1990.
Early life
Barco was born in Cúcuta in the Nort ...
Public Library in Bogotá
Image:Bogotá MAMBO Expo Ariza.JPG, The Museo de Arte Moderno in downtown Bogotá
Awards
* Colombian National Architecture Prize (1986, 1988, and 1990).
* Prince Claus Award
The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...
(1998)
* Architect of the Americas Award, Panamerican Federation of Architect Associations (1999)
* Professional Trajectory in Architecture Prize II, Iberoamerican Bienal of Architecture and Civil Engineering (2000)
* Alvar Aalto Medal (2003)
* Manuel Tolsá Medal, Autonomous University of México (2004)
* Honorary Fellow of The American Institute of Architects (2006)
* Orden de Boyacá (2006)
* Lápiz de Acero (2007)
Tribute
On 28 April 2021, Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
celebrated his 92nd birthday with a Google Doodle
A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
.
References
External links
Catalog of his works
at Rogelio Salmona Foundation (Spanish)
Lugares dentro de lugares, La Memoria en la composición arquitectónica CCJG: Rogelio Salmona.
(Spanish)
(Spanish)
The Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez
(Spanish)
The Gimnasio Fontana
Website, with images of its facilities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salmona, Rogelio
Colombian architects
People from Bogotá
1929 births
2007 deaths
French emigrants to Colombia
Deaths from cancer in Colombia
Colombian people of Jewish descent
Naturalized citizens of Colombia