Argentine architect’s legacy lives on in historic building
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In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Fundación Clorindo Testa preserves the work of architect Clorindo Testa from a building dating to 1912.
The foundation was established in 2018 by the architect’s widow, Joaquina Testa, and daughter, Teresa Bortagaray. Since then, artist and cultural manager Julio Suaya has directed the foundation, which works to maintain and share Testa’s artistic and architectural contributions. The foundation renovated the studio where Testa and his team worked for nearly 50 years.
While the space originally featured white walls, curators painted the rooms in vibrant colors, blue, red, and yellow, to highlight Testa’s style of blending concrete and white with color accents. The foundation also created a library and documentation center to house and digitize Testa’s work, including materials from 221 projects. Oski Lorenti and Juan Fontana, former partners and students of Testa, now lead the Estudio Clorindo Testa, continuing his work with the family’s approval.
They emphasize that Testa approached his work with a sense of playfulness and a focus on the human experience, a philosophy reflected in his designs and the foundation’s motto: “I am happy, I am dead, I am alive.” The foundation recently participated in the exhibition “Habitar la forma: desde el arte a la arquitectura” at the Centro Cultural Rojas, and is currently working on a documentary about Testa’s life.
