We are exploring the home and garden of renowned landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.
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Transcript:
“The brutality of present urban conditions makes the garden a compelling necessity.”
“One must bring nature into the reach of man and, above all, take man back to nature.”
“It seems to be almost an obligation of the landscape architect to combat destruction and to preserve certain ill-fated species in danger of extinction, in order that they may survive for the education and enjoyment of future generations.”
These are quotes from internationally renowned and influential 20th century landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. His garden is the subject of today’s episode — Sítio Roberto Burle Marx in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Hello Listeners,
Today is February 28, and this is A Garden A Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
Thank you for listening.
Roberto Burle Marx was not only a landscape designer. He was a painter, a print maker, and a musician. His artistic eye can be seen in his landscape designs. He is credited with having introduced Modernist landscape architecture to Brazil. His designs were modern and avant-garde and were influenced by Brazilian folk art as well as cubism and abstractionism.
Marx was born in 1909 in São Paolo, and his family moved to Rio de Janeiro when he was four years old.
He began his plant collection when he was seven years old when he received his first plant from his aunt, but his great interest in native plants of Brazil began when he was an art student studying painting in Germany. He enjoyed visiting the Botanical Garden in Berlin where he saw a collection of flora native to Brazil. He returned to Brazil in 1930 and began growing his collection in earnest.
In 1932, he designed his first landscape. During his career, he designed nearly 3,000 gardens — both private gardens as well as public parks and plazas. Probably his most famous design is the Promenade at Copacabana Beach.
Marx was also a naturalist and ecologist and one of the first world figures to speak out against deforestation. He became involved in efforts to protect and conserve rainforests.
In 1949, he purchased the Sítio de Santo Antonio da Bica, a ninety-acre estate on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to establish his garden and house a nursery and his tropical plant collection. He and his brother, Guilherme, bought neighboring land in 1952 and 1960 bringing the total acreage to 150.
He partnered with botanists to explore the rainforests and gather plant specimens. On these expeditions, he discovered at least thirty-five previously unknown species and because of his efforts, at least fifty different species of plants are named after him.
In 1985, the property was donated to the Brazilian government who still manage it today. The estate was named a national monument and in 2021 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The garden today houses more than 3,500 species of plants including more than 500 philodendrons, including some that were named after Marx.
The garden also includes a farm house and the Santo Antonio Chapel which is still in use for Sunday Mass and the Santo Antonio procession each year on June 13.
Roberto Burle Marx passed away in 1994, and since then, the garden has been managed by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage.
Tours are available twice a day — at 9:30 and 1:30. Visitors will see not only the gardens but Roberto Burle Marx’s art and craft collections including his own paintings, pre-Columbian ceramics, and decorative glass and tiles.
That’s about it for today. I do hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Join me here tomorrow to find out where we are going next.
As a reminder, I release a new episode every single day. You can find past episodes anywhere you listen to podcasts or you can find them at our website — agardenaday.com.
Thanks for listening. If all goes well, I’ll be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about Sítio Roberto Burle Marx, check out these links:
https://sitioburlemarx.org/historia/
https://sitioburlemarx.org/espaco/espaco-desvinculado/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Burle_Marx
https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/reputations/roberto-burle-marx-1909-1994
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/337
https://www.gardendesign.com/brazil/burle-marx-rio.html
https://dirt.asla.org/2018/07/02/roberto-burle-marx-in-his-own-words/
http://www.maria-brazil.org/sitio_roberto_burle_marx.htm
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