This is Kurimanzutto, the Mexico City art gallery of dealers Monica Manzutto and José Kuri. Originally an old lumber yard, the building was converted into a gallery by architect Alberto Kalach. One of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever visited; impossible to tell from these photographs the feel of this place.
I remember getting into a discussion with someone at a bar about concrete brutalism, and he insisted there was, in fact, a place for it. And here you go. I think the exposed trusses are a big part of what makes this work.
In a way, this reminds me of how well a lot of late 19th and early 20th century industrial architecture adapts to a host of uses. We live fairly close to a huge, vacant repository of it, Danville VA. I think if the place weren’t in the cracker ridden hinterlands close to the heart of Jerry Falwell’s atavistic impulse, you wouldn’t be able to swing a dead cat without hitting a boho.
One a these days I’ll make some pictures of it.
This wins for comment of the year. Even just for the phrase “Jerry Falwell’s atavistic impulse” alone.
That’s the problem with most of these industrial buildings – they’re not where you want them to be. Lucky for this gallery, it’s smack in the middle of Mexico City. Not to mention that heating isn’t as much of a problem in southern latitudes.
Why, thank you, Lindsay. Who knows what I’ll say before the first three cups of coffee.