Burle Marx

Burle Marx (São Paulo, SP, 1909 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1994)

Burle Marx was a multi-talented Brazilian visual artist, internationally recognized as a landscaper, architect, painter, draftsman, engraver, lithographer, sculptor, tapestry artist, ceramist, jewelry designer, and decorator. He was responsible for more than three thousand landscaping projects in twenty countries, in addition to leaving an important legacy in painting and environmental preservation. He founded a landscaping studio in 1955 and, in the same year, created the company Burle Marx & Cia. Ltda., which opened a branch in Caracas in 1956 and operated on several continents.

Burle Marx, born in São Paulo on August 4, 1909, moved with his family to Rio de Janeiro in 1913, after financial difficulties. The son of Wilhelm Marx, a German Jew raised in Trier, and Cecília Burle, a native of Pernambuco of French descent, he grew up observing his mother's care for gardens and orchards, starting his own plant collection at an early age in the family mansion in the Leme neighborhood.

In 1928, the family traveled to Germany to seek treatment for Burle Marx's eye problem. In Berlin, he encountered the thriving cultural scene and the Dahlem Botanical Garden, where he first saw Brazilian tropical species that sparked his fascination with native flora. During this period, he frequented museums, theaters, operas, and galleries, and was influenced by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Klee.

In 1929, Burle Marx began his training in the visual arts at the studio of Degner Klemn, absorbing elements of modernism that shaped his unique aesthetic. This period was crucial to his artistic development and directly influenced his landscape projects and multidisciplinary work in the arts.

Back in Brazil, between 1930 and 1934, Burle Marx studied painting and architecture at the National School of Fine Arts (ENBA) in Rio de Janeiro, where he studied with Leo Putz, Augusto Bracet, and Celso Antônio. Socializing with figures such as Oscar Niemeyer, Hélio Uchôa, and Milton Roberto, he began to solidify his involvement with Brazilian modernism. In 1932, he was invited by Lúcio Costa to design his first landscape project, launching a revolutionary career in garden architecture.

Between 1934 and 1937, Burle Marx took over as head of Recife's Parks and Gardens Division at the invitation of Governor Carlos de Lima Cavalcanti. During this period, he completed more than ten projects for public squares and gardens, including Casa Forte Square, Republic Square, Navy Arsenal Square, Derby Square, Entroncamento Square, and Euclides da Cunha Square, also known as "Madalena Cactus Garden" for its use of species typical of the sertão and caatinga scrublands. This decision sparked debate in the press and marked a break with European gardening models. In 1937, Burle Marx established Brazil's first ecological park in Recife, foreshadowing concepts of sustainable urbanism. He himself stated: "My experience in Recife was fundamental to the direction my professional career later took."

At the same time, Burle Marx maintained ties with Rio de Janeiro and studied with Candido Portinari and Mário de Andrade. In 1937, he became Portinari's assistant, further strengthening his involvement with Brazilian art. He also studied with botanist João Geraldo Kuhlmann and naturalist Manoel de Carvalho e Melo Barreto, which were essential to his scientific understanding of Brazilian vegetation. He was also mentored by botanist Henrique Lahmeyer de Mello Barreto, with whom he conducted collecting expeditions and in situ studies of species.

In the late 1930s, Burle Marx began to integrate modern architecture into his landscape projects, utilizing organic forms, free-flowing curves, and plant masses of native species. In 1942, he designed the terrace gardens of the Gustavo Capanema Building in Rio de Janeiro, a landmark landmark of modern landscaping in Brazil. In 1949, he acquired a 365,000 m² site in Campo Grande, now the Burle Marx Site, now managed by IPHAN, where he developed acclimatization, preservation, and cataloging of Brazilian flora. More than 3,500 species are cultivated there, and approximately 50 plants identified during botanical expeditions bear his name, such as the Philodendron burle-marxii. The property was declared a national monument in 1985 and, in 2021, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Influence of Germany

Burle Marx was born in São Paulo, but it was in Rio de Janeiro that he spent most of his life. A trip to Germany between 1928 and 1929 was decisive for his career. While visiting the Dahlem Botanical Garden, he discovered the beauty of Brazil's tropical flora far from his homeland. This experience sparked a reappreciation of the country's vegetation and was the seed for his innovative approach to landscaping.

Upon returning to Brazil, he enrolled at ENBA, where he had remarkable experiences with professors like Leo Putz. In his words: "When he was hired by Lúcio Costa to be a professor at the School of Fine Arts, I often served as an interpreter because I didn't speak Portuguese. [...] Leo Putz, faced with my surprise at an interpretation of what he saw and what he painted, told me that nature was a pretext for the pictorial digressions of color." This insight contributed to the compositional freedom that Burle Marx would later apply to gardens.

A Vocation for Landscaping

Burle Marx demonstrated his calling for landscaping early on, cultivating gardens as a child. After leaving ENBA, he sought more focused training, including private lessons and, most importantly, in-depth training with botanical experts. The combination of art, science, and design came to define his landscape language.

In 1933, he designed his first garden for a residence designed by Lúcio Costa. In Recife, between 1934 and 1937, his work with native vegetation gained notoriety. He later created squares such as Salgado Filho (1957) and Farias Neves (1958), both in Recife. His work in urban landscaping was innovative by placing Brazilian biodiversity at the center, abandoning the reliance on foreign species. Throughout his career, he also completed projects in France, South Africa, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

In the mid-1930s, as a student of Portinari at the University of the Federal District, he absorbed the values ​​of modernist aesthetics and applied them to landscape composition, uniting art, architecture, and nature with originality. His style, influenced by Cubism and Abstractionism, rejected mimicry, favoring formal freedom, large patches of vegetation, the use of tropical flora, and paving with graphic designs, as on the famous Copacabana Beach boardwalk.

Gardens Everywhere

From the 1940s onward, Burle Marx began to divide his time between painting and landscaping, establishing himself as a global figurehead. His projects left their mark on landscapes in Brazil and abroad: the Pampulha Gardens (Belo Horizonte, 1940), Largo do Machado (RJ, 1945), Ibirapuera Park (SP, 1954), the Museum of Modern Art and Botafogo Beach (RJ, 1955), the monumental axis of Brasília (1958), Aterro do Flamengo (RJ, 1959), the Civic Center of Curitiba (1966), Peru Square (Buenos Aires), Parque del Este (Caracas), and Jardim das Nações (Austria).

At the same time, Burle Marx maintained a consistent output in the visual arts. As a painter, draftsman, lithographer, tapestry maker and jewelry designer, he participated in exhibitions from 1941 onwards. Highlights include Landscape Architecture in Brazil (USA, 1954), the Rio Museum of Modern Art (1956), the Commercial Museum (Philadelphia, 1963), the Venice Biennale (1970), a retrospective at the Belo Horizonte Museum of Art (1972), the Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon, 1973), the Galliera Museum (Paris, 1973) and MAC-USP (1997).

Experiencing Tropical Nature

Burle Marx, although educated under strong European influence, created a body of work deeply connected to Brazilian nature. Tropical flora was his major theme, both as a landscaper and as a visual artist. His gardens serve as a synthesis of technique, aesthetic sensitivity, and environmental awareness.

According to critic Mário Barata, Burle Marx's art integrates "Europeanized form and tropical experience," revealing refined technical mastery and a profoundly original vision. His reworking of the plant world resulted in innovative visual structures capable of transforming the urban landscape with poetry and intelligence.

Legacy and Recognition

Burle Marx received important honors during his lifetime, such as the Landscape Architecture Prize at the 2nd International Architecture Exhibition (1953), the title of Knight of the Order of the Crown of Belgium (1959), the Santos Dumont Medal (1963), the Fine Arts Medal from the American Institute of Architects (1965), the Greensfelder Prize from the Missouri Botanical Garden, and honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art (1982) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Fine Arts. In 1971, he was awarded the Order of Rio Branco. In 1982, he was awarded the title of the world's greatest landscape artist.

He died in Rio de Janeiro on June 4, 1994, leaving a legacy that encompasses art, science, and nature. In 2009, on the centennial of his birth, the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art organized an exhibition in his honor. Since then, Recife has celebrated Burle Marx Week, established by municipal law, reaffirming the artist's importance in the Brazilian cultural scene.

Critical Commentary

Burle Marx's work is a unique reflection of the union between art, botany, and architecture, shaping itself throughout his career with an innovative approach deeply connected to the Brazilian natural landscape. His study and dedication to the national flora were central elements in his production, allowing him to create gardens and public spaces that not only celebrate Brazil's biodiversity but also harmoniously integrate nature with architecture and urbanism.

As a botanist and researcher, Burle Marx conducted excursions throughout Brazil, discovering and cataloging new plant species, many of which became part of his landscape projects. His work incorporated plants from the Cerrado, the Amazon, and the Northeastern backlands, giving his gardens and parks a unique and innovative identity. By combining these plants with architectural elements, such as columns and archways salvaged from demolition sites, and with mosaics and tile panels, Burle Marx reinterpreted Portuguese tradition, transforming it into something contemporary and authentic.

The use of masses of color in his projects is one of the hallmarks of his work. He arranged shrubs and trees in homogeneous groups, respecting the chromatic variations throughout the seasons, creating dynamic and vibrant landscapes. This attention to color also extended to mineral materials such as stones, pebbles, and sand, which, combined with the organic forms of his gardens, resulted in visually striking and harmonious compositions. Projects such as the Pampulha Complex (Belo Horizonte, 1942-1945) and the Pedra Azul Ranch (Teresópolis, 1956) exemplify this integration between the built landscape and the natural environment.

In the field of architectural collaboration, Burle Marx worked with some of the greatest names in modern architecture, such as Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, and Rino Levi. His partnership with Lúcio Costa on the gardens of the Ministry of Education and Health, as well as on the Eixo Monumental in Brasília, demonstrates his unique ability to integrate architecture and landscaping in an innovative and functional way. These projects are landmarks of Brazilian modernity, in which Burle Marx's landscaping plays an essential role in creating public spaces of great aesthetic and cultural impact.

Alongside his landscaping, Burle Marx maintained a solid career as a painter. His painting evolved over the decades, exploring themes ranging from still lifes to portraits and urban landscapes. Influenced by Cubism and Modernism, his works reflected his keen eye for natural colors and forms, often employing geometric techniques, especially in his depictions of cities. From 1940 onward, Burle Marx moved towards abstractionism, using vibrant colors and geometric shapes in his paintings, as seen in the works Cataventos (1940) and Peixes (1944).

In the 1980s, his painting reached a new phase, with the use of acrylic and a vibrant, fluid palette. Burle Marx's drawings, many inspired by patterns of foliage and branches, became almost completely abstract, distinguished by the predominance of lines and tonal gradations. Works such as Day and Night (1973 Series) exemplify this evolution, reflecting the constant search for a balance between nature and abstraction.

In addition to his contributions as a landscaper and visual artist, Burle Marx was also an ardent advocate for environmental preservation, especially from the 1970s onward, when he intensified his ecological activism. His donation of the Santo Antônio da Bica Site to the federal government in 1985 resulted in the creation of the Burle Marx Site, a landscape and botanical heritage site of great importance, which became a center for research and preservation of Brazilian flora.

Burle Marx's work reflects the fusion of diverse artistic disciplines, with an innovative vision that transcends landscape art. His ability to unite art, nature, and architecture made him one of the most influential artists in Brazil and the world, whose projects continue to be benchmarks of beauty, sustainability, and innovation.

Critiques

Geraldo Ferraz

"Burle Marx's painting now seeks to position itself as a visual survey of the landscape work. The drawing loses its incisive presence, but beneath the colors, in parallel, the drawing preserves in Burle Marx's paintings an orchestrated trepidation, the secret of an order. The Brachian reminiscence reflects the profound obedience to the master's order, where the rule conditioned emotion. His painting re-actualizes Cubist exploration, investing in abstract invariants and creating forms that produce a serious rhythm, as seen in Composition 1. Burle Marx's painting reaches its maturity, as evidenced by the Extravasaria series, which reveals a search for images where geometry allows coloristic sensuality to escape, condensing the great previous paintings into those of 1974."
Source: FERRAZ, Geraldo. Personality in a Theme. In: MARX, Burle. Burle Marx. São Paulo: MAM, 1974.

Antonio Bento

"Textures vary in Burle Marx's diverse works. The artist captures the environment, representing it in two-dimensional visions and abstract perspectives. His drawings are intriguing, demonstrating his constant renewal in the production of gardens, floral sculptures, tapestries, and other designs. Burle Marx is an artist who seeks the universal, something rare in his time. The India ink drawings, with varying shades of gray, black, and white, demonstrate the artist's visual power, evidencing the creative talent reflected in his laboriously executed works."
Source: BENTO, Antonio. Drawings and Paintings by Burle Marx. In: MARX, Burle. Burle Marx. São Paulo: MAM, 1974.

Clarival do Prado Valladares

"The difference between Burle Marx's painting and drawing can be seen in the thematic gradation. The composition, derived from the vegetal structure, loose and schematized in space, is the result of Burle Marx's experience as a gardener, botanist, and ecologist. His drawing reveals an individual language of plenitude, contemporary with Picasso, Braque, and Matisse, but with a unique focus: the weave of the vegetal world, revealing spaces, planes, and chiaroscuro never before seen."
Source: VALLADARES, Clarival do Prado. Burle Marx in 1974. In: MARX, Burle. Burle Marx. São Paulo: MAM, 1974.

Lélia Coelho Frota

"Burle Marx's graphic work, drawn in black and white, is as important as his contribution as a colorist. Drawing, being an open process, possesses great fluidity, creating a unique dynamic in prints and canvases. Burle Marx combines a wide range of colors and, at the same time, creates dramatic density with the contrast between black and white, as seen in Guaratiba (1989). Drawing also intervenes to give scale to large patches of color, like a stained glass window illuminated from within."
Source: FROTA, Lélia Coelho. Burle Marx: a tribute. In: MARX, Burle. Art and landscape: the aesthetics of Burle Marx. São Paulo: MAC/USP, 1997.

Vera Beatriz Siqueira

"Burle Marx's landscape creation allows him to deal with modern abstraction without the limitations of painting. He creates a concrete spatial fact, without resorting to arbitrary formalizations. Burle Marx combined the ability to anticipate formal relationships between plant species with the intense use of chromatic contrasts, always respecting the unpredictability and instability of nature, as exemplified in the garden of Odette Monteiro's residence in Petrópolis, where color transcends any application of two-dimensional rules, creating volumes and textures that communicate the Brazilian landscape in a unique way."
Source: SIQUEIRA, Vera Beatriz. Burle Marx: Transverse Landscapes. In: SIQUEIRA, Vera Beatriz, EUVALDO, Célia (coord.). Burle Marx. São Paulo: Cosac & Naify, 2001.

Testimonials

"My extensive and very broad experience as a landscaper, creating, implementing, and conserving gardens, parks, and large urban areas, practically since the third decade of this century, now allows me to formulate my conceptualization of the garden problem as synonymous with the adaptation of the ecological environment to meet the natural demands of civilization.

This concept, that is, my current thinking, based on considerable experience, does not claim any originality or discovery, especially because all my work responds to a historical trajectory and a consideration of the natural environment.

Regarding my life as a visual artist, with the most rigorous disciplinary training in drawing and painting, the garden was, in fact, a sedimentation of circumstances. It was simply the interest in applying the foundations of visual composition to nature itself, in accordance with the aesthetic sentiment of my time. It was, in short, the way I found to organize and compose my drawing and painting, using less conventional materials.

I can largely explain this through what happened in my generation, when painters were impacted by Cubism and Abstractionism. The juxtaposition of the visual attributes of these aesthetic movements with natural elements constituted the attraction for a new experience. I decided to use natural topography as a surface for composition and the elements of found nature—minerals, plants—as materials for visual organization, just as any other artist seeks to create their composition with canvas, paints, and brushes.

The critics most interested in my work have repeatedly pointed out the stylistic connection between painting and the landscape I do. Geraldo Ferraz and Clarival Valladares have indicated all of my work as within a visual unity, and I myself am the first to recognize that there are no aesthetic differences between the object-painting and the object-constructed landscape. Only the means of expression change."
Burle Marx
MARX, Burle. Concepts of Composition in Landscape Architecture. In: _____. Art and Landscape: Selected Lectures. São Paulo: Nobel, 1987, p. 11. [Lecture entitled Concepts of Composition in Landscape Architecture, given in 1954].

Interviews

Burle Marx – Santo Antônio da Bica Estate/ Rio de Janeiro
Ana Rosa de Oliveira interviewed Burle Marx in February 1992. The interview was made available in Vitruvius in June 2001.

This interview was conducted in 1992, when I was beginning research for my doctoral thesis in Barcelona. After an exhaustive search of Burle Marx's writings and specialized criticism, many questions remained unanswered. This led me to seek contact with Burle Marx so that, based on his own statements, I could address the doubts that arose. Burle Marx granted me this interview at his home, in Santo Antônio da Bica Estate, Rio de Janeiro, two and a half years before his death. His time was scarce, and throughout the interview he did not stop painting. Dressed in jeans and a paint-stained white shirt, he painted and instructed his assistant on how to arrange the silkscreen, or the color and quantity of paint to use. The interview unfolded among silkscreens, paints, brushes, plants, and a glimpse of the world that surrounded him.

If we were to trace the evolution of your garden, would it be possible to say that initially there was a more ecological approach, concerned with valuing native vegetation and plant associations, and later an aesthetic concern?
Initially, my gardens had an ecological focus. But this focus is quite relative. I designed, for example, the MEC garden with some very abstract stains, because by that time I was already familiar with Arp. So it can't be said that my gardens, even in their early days, had an essentially ecological concern.

Studying your lectures and published interviews, I found a lot of information about your botanical training, but you don't talk much about your artistic training. Who or what moments are important in this training? The important writings. How did music influence your training?
[Looking at a silkscreen against the light, he comments: "Funny, looking from here, how beautiful this crimson and this blue are. We often find what we're looking for at the moment. For example, all these blues are a lesson in refinement."] I had a mother who was a musician; she sang very well, was a great pianist, and had a diabolical, diabolique, or divine sensitivity. She loved plants. When I started bringing in wild plants that I liked, she never said, "Oh Roberto, that's wild." She said, "Roberto, that's beautiful, I'd never seen it before; that's a kind of divine manifestation." And deep down... I'm not religious, but there are forces I can't explain. For example, why we like a certain color, a certain moment that for others has no importance whatsoever. There's something mysterious. Then I began to care about plants, and the discovery of plants, especially in Brazil, is a fabulous thing... Influences come throughout life. We all have a certain convention. I'm from the time when we listened to Wagner, who had an influence on my life, Schuman, Schubert, because my mother sang them very well, ever since I can remember, I've listened to them. There are certain musicians that, although I consider them to be of a certain value, I don't feel strongly about them. Some like gardens, others like rolled pebbles... Nowadays, it's fashionable to create gardens without vegetation, yet those who know the vegetation, its phenology... (Looking at the painted canvas: Let me see. It's great. Now give it a shade of a greenish blue, that blue).

And your journey to Berlin?
I was in Europe from 1928 to 1929. I lived a year and a half in Berlin. Everything I experienced there—Wagner's works, the suite Pelleas et Melisande, Beethoven's symphonies, the musicians, Hindemith, Schoenberg, Alban Berg—these were artists who played an essential role in my formation.

I would like to know if, beyond music and the valuable discovery of Brazilian plants at the Dahlem Botanical Garden, during the period you lived in Berlin, there was a similar revelation regarding the new trends in painting emerging across Europe?
In Berlin, I often attended exhibitions, especially those of the German Expressionists. But what I mean is this… in art, the question is not confined solely to knowledge of painting. It encompasses everything that was happening at the time. For instance, I would go to the Botanical Garden, to the opera houses—there were three operating in Berlin then. I saw stage designs created by the greatest scenographers of that era. This immersion in music, nature, and visual arts—all of it weaves a cultural fabric. What I mean is that culture is one single entity.
I detest the notion that a landscape artist should know only about plants. One must know what a Piero della Francesca is, but also grasp what a Miró, a Michelangelo, a Picasso, a Braque, a Léger, a Karl Hofer, a Renoir, a Delaunay are. I believe that the essential thing in life is never to confine oneself to a single discipline. I also enjoy poetry, music, as in a symphony by Béla Bartók. Life, I believe, is about observing, absorbing—and perhaps what has helped me most is that I have never lost my curiosity. Even at my age, there is always something new: a color, a nuance that prompts me to see.
["Look, I want a blue, that specific blue I’m talking about—greenish, almost like the tone of this screen print," he says, pointing to the serigraphy panel]

And upon your return to Brazil?
When I returned to Brazil, the excursions began. I became friends with the great botanists the country had. After coming back, I met Ducke, a botanist who spent fifty years in the Amazon. He came from Dalmatia, yet refused to accept any suggestion that he was not Brazilian.
He classified more than 500 species of legumes. We can say he knew botany masterfully. It was quite amusing, actually. One day I told him: “Professor Ducke, I would like your books.” To which he replied: “I won’t give you my books because you don’t know botany, you don’t understand botany.” He was strict, but it wasn’t severity—he simply spoke his mind, and indeed I was not a botanist.
But as I always say, if I were to hold a facsimile of a Mozart symphony in my hands, I would possess a treasure, the sheer pleasure of having it. Many times, I had this urge. Yet the very fact of living alongside Ducke, hearing him talk to me about plants, was deeply rewarding.
As you know, to this day I am not a botanist, but I am fascinated by applied botany. And for that, direct contact is essential. I never miss the chance to be around botanists, or to listen to good music, read poetry—even works by those long gone. For instance, when I think of Don Quixote—what an extraordinary thing! I had a German friend who used to say: if we know the Iliad, the Aeneid, Don Quixote, the Divine Comedy, and Goethe's Faust, we have a general understanding of European literature.
We need a broad cultural foundation, but to achieve it one would need an entire lifetime, for there is so much to know. Every day I feel the absence of what I do not yet know. Yet what compels me to keep looking is precisely my curiosity—my desire to always see what surrounds me. That, I believe, is one of the reasons I continue to live.

Who were your teachers?
The greatest teacher I had was Leo Putz—cultured, insightful, profoundly knowledgeable. Portinari possessed remarkable technical skill. After working in Pernambuco, I returned to Rio and took lessons with him. There were others, like Celso Antônio, who knew little about painting yet believed he did. I was deeply committed to discipline—discipline often leads us to results. If I had to start today, I would do it differently. But it is through mistakes that we draw our conclusions. The real problem lies with those who fear making them.
Another remarkable teacher was Mello Barreto. He became very enthusiastic when I tried to apply the concept of association I had encountered in Berlin.
At the Dahlem Botanical Garden, Engler had arranged plants from the Carpathians, the Alps, the Apennines in grouped compositions. Seeing that was overwhelming—understanding it, or perhaps feeling it. Over time, Menna Barreto began helping me apply this concept, especially in our work together at Parque do Araxá. He not only taught me how to identify plants but also their underlying significance. That exchange was invaluable. Few people have such opportunities, yet I always sought them out. As Mello Barreto used to say, “There is no shame in not mastering a certain knowledge. What we do not know must be acknowledged. The worst thing is to pretend we know.”

And architects like Lúcio Costa?
I was fortunate—Lúcio Costa lived on the same street as my family. I’ve known him since I was nine. If I am 82 today and he is 90, that tells you how long I have been surrounded by people of knowledge. A lesson in architecture from Lúcio is a master’s lesson.
Another extraordinary figure was the engineer, structural designer, and poet Joaquim Cardozo, with whom I worked for three years in Pernambuco. Possibly one of the most important figures of my time, he possessed an astonishing breadth of knowledge. Being with someone who could speak about music, poetry, or Baroque art for hours left me speechless. He died tragically of arteriosclerosis at sixty—a man who lived among books.

What writings were important in your formation?
I had a friend, the son-in-law of composer Alberto Nepomuceno, who brought me a collection of Le Corbusier’s books: Vers une architecture, Une maison, un palais, L’Art décoratif d’aujourd’hui. I began reading them, and they opened my vision. Le Corbusier visited here—always an extraordinary figure, with such clarity and precision of thought. Just pick up Vers une architecture and see how he writes about art with remarkable lucidity. Later came other books, the works of Braque, Picasso—looking at them brought back everything I had seen. All of this—plus music, magazines, exhibitions—was vital.
To say we are not influenced by a Picasso print—of course we are. And I am not afraid of influence. Analyzing one of Picasso’s works reveals how deeply he absorbed the entire history of painting. He was a genius, able to assimilate and reinterpret it as his own. He once said something beautiful: “It is better to copy the work of others than to copy oneself.” He possessed a wild inventive power, coupled with technical skill he could partially conceal. When I look at his drawings for Ovid, or his prints, they are monumental—monumental! He mastered everything—from subtle etchings to Guernica, which carries such violent force. Clearly, he had a profound lineage—a past of Goya, Velázquez, El Greco. That Spanish tradition, with its extraordinary strength! Seeing a Goya still startles me—he knew everything. Beyond his imagination, his technique was superb. And I believe that without technique, no work—whether painting or garden—can achieve true results.

In the early stage of your painting, one notices a composition based on the figure and still objects.
I trained in the academy, receiving the gold medal—so one can say I had an academic foundation. Later, my contact with Leo Putz—hired by Lúcio Costa—who spoke of Gauguin and German painters, deeply influenced me. I was expelled from painting class because I began speaking about Gauguin, and the professor (Brasse) thought I was corrupting the students.

Yet you still valued regional elements, which was not a particular trait of academicism.
Although I received an academic education, I was never an academic painter—not even at that time. I never sought to paint to please the elite of society. I could have been a good portraitist because I knew how to paint portraits, but I was never interested in that; I was far more connected to the issues and figures of ordinary people.

Considering that the represented object is no longer identifiable, what then would be the reality of your painting? How does the transition from figurative to abstract take place?
Abstraction is simply a way of speaking. One only goes so far. For instance, if I am looking at a color, it is because it exists; therefore, it is not abstract. There are so many things that lead us toward it.
I believe it was a necessity—a need to transcend reality. It is like the honking of a car, the croak of a frog, the lowing of a cow—sounds that it is up to the musician to arrange. I think colors must also be arranged. Often I could not explain it; the prevailing idea was always to copy what we saw. One day I was watching a professor I had, Leo Putz, of the German Expressionist school. He liked me very much because I spoke German; he even called me “my son” and was related to Thomas Mann. I was observing him painting and at one point I asked: “Professor, why are you painting a roof red when it is actually brown?” He replied: “My son, nature is only a pretext… Let us say that art is a transposition of nature.” Such an explanation was enough for me to begin changing. Yet I don’t regret having an academic background; nowadays, the younger generation knows nothing. They think they are the ones discovering the world. I believe it is essential to know what has been done before us…

At that time, however, it was important to break with Academicism.
It was necessary to break away from the notion of simply copying what was in front of us. Although knowing how to copy what is before us is also important, as it trains one’s eye for rhythm, for color, for local tone—this too is very valuable.

Some critics say you paint the texture of the vegetal world. Do you agree?
The texture… I seek to understand what the vegetal world is. One must understand that each critic has their own way of expressing themselves. They might think I seek to understand the texture of the vegetal world—for instance, why this leaf exists, the reason for the Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). What matters is knowing that we are influenced by what surrounds us.

To represent vegetation—if that is the sense the critics wish to convey—do you agree that this is your aim?
I disagree. It is everything. I cannot agree, as it would be far too limiting. Emotions arise from everything around us. I am here with you, I see the dog, a servant. All of this mingles with our sensibilities. To think that my painting stems solely from vegetal forms is absurd.

You mention that you detest formulas.
Indeed, I do detest them. I keep saying it because formulas are repetitive, like a dead-end street. Accepting formulas stifles the capacity to think. I detest dictatorships, which are nothing but impositions, formulas. I want the right to discover what works for me and what may not work for others. I am interested in principles.

What would you consider to be your guiding principles in painting?
Form, color, rhythm—principles common to all the arts. At times, it is construction, which is fundamental to everything. Those who cannot build cannot create art.

How does one construct a painting?
By understanding that a painting must have a dominant element and a subordinate one; that a work where darkness prevails differs from one where light prevails. There can never be two equal crescendos. One must be the more important crescendo. This can be seen, for instance, when analyzing the structure of Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un faune, which possesses such clarity, such simplicity—seemingly a small piece, yet at the same time a monument. Sometimes certain painters or composers produce, produce, and yet say nothing.

Referring to an exhibition you held at MASP in 1974, Geraldo Ferraz mentioned the term Extravasaria, saying it was one of the names you gave to what your painting achieves. Could you elaborate on that?
Extravasaria, in the sense of not remaining within a formula—of stepping beyond and seeking other paths, breaking away from routine.

Critics often suggest that your gardens are like paintings. You initially agree, yet later you disagree. Why?
It is utter nonsense to confuse my gardens with painting. Each art form has its own manner of expression. For example, color in painting is something far more defined than in a garden. In a garden, color shifts with the time of day, with light. A painting in darkness is different from one under constant illumination.

Could you name some of your landscape projects that you consider significant?
I believe my works that engage directly with the city are particularly important. A landscape designer is always subordinate to the urban planner. Without understanding the needs of a city—and above all, the functions of green spaces—the landscape designer cannot create gardens. In the Ibirapuera Park project, I carried out many plastic experiments with paving and vegetation. At Aterro do Flamengo, I explored species resistant to salinity and wind. I believe that without technique, one cannot achieve a good result. A flower, for example, has symmetry; it obeys principles akin to crystallization. The same applies to gardens. A garden is nature organized by man and for man. Discipline often leads to results.
In truth, an artist is one who can express themselves intelligently. On the other hand, for me, art is a necessity for finding inner balance. Yet there is an aspect of art as imponderable as life itself. If only we could explain why we feel the need to perpetuate ourselves, why we live.

Solo Exhibitions

1946 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Itapetininga
1952 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Masp
1956 - London (England) - Solo Exhibition, Contemporary Arts Gallery
1956 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, MAM/RJ
1963 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, MAM/RJ
1967 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Bonino
1968 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, A Galeria
1968 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Galeria do Banco Nacional de Minas Gerais
1971 - Recife, PE - Drawings, Galeria Bancipe
1972 - Belo Horizonte, MG - 43 Years of Painting by Burle Marx, MAP
1972 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Retrospective, Galeria do Ibeu
1973 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Solo Exhibition, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
1973 - Paris (France) - Solo Exhibition, Musée Galliera
1973 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Solo Exhibition, MAP
1974 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Bonino
1974 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, MAM/SP
1974 - Curitiba, PR - Solo Exhibition, MAC/PR
1974 - Salvador, BA - Solo Exhibition, Foyer of Teatro Castro Alves
1976 - Porto Alegre, RS - Drawings, Galeria Studiu's
1976 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Oficina D'Arte
1976 - Berlin (Germany) - Solo Exhibition, Atelier Noth-Hauer
1977 - Recife, PE - Solo Exhibition, Casa de Olinda
1977 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Solo Exhibition, Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Caracas
1978 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Solo Exhibition, Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Caracas
1978 - Maracaibo (Venezuela) - Solo Exhibition, Centro de Bellas Artes
1978 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, MNBA
1978 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Solo Exhibition, Atelier Internacional de Arte
1978 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Aki
1978 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Guignard
1979 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Masp
1980 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Drawings from the series Erótica, Homenagem a Goya and Nuvem Carolina, Galeria Banerj
1981 - João Pessoa, PB - Solo Exhibition, UFPB, Núcleo de Arte Contemporânea
1981 - Niterói, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Centro de Exposições da Associação Médica Fluminense
1981 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Saramenha
1981 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Espaço Plano
1982 - London (England) - Solo Exhibition, Royal College of Art
1983 - Mallorca (Spain) - Solo Exhibition, Col·legi d'Arquitectes de les Balears
1983 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, CCSP
1984 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Paulo Figueiredo Galeria de Arte
1984 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Olivia Kann
1984 - Porto Alegre, RS - Solo Exhibition, Livraria Prosa i Verso
1984 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, CCCM
1984 - Fortaleza, CE - Solo Exhibition, Galeria de Arte Ignez Fiuza
1984 - Joinville, SC - Solo Exhibition, Museu de Arte de Joinville
1985 - Goiânia, GO - The Art of Burle Marx, MultiArte Galeria
1985 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, BNDES
1985 - Brasília, DF - Solo Exhibition, Galeria de Arte
1985 - Recife, PE - Solo Exhibition, Estudio A
1985 - Vitória, ES - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Homero Massena
1986 - New York (United States) - Solo Exhibition, Brazilian Cultural Foundation
1986 - Washington (United States) - Solo Exhibition, Brazilian-American Cultural Institute
1986 - San Francisco (United States) - Solo Exhibition, ASLA Annual Meeting
1986 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Solo Exhibition, Espaço Cultural do Pampulha Iate Clube
1987 - New York (United States) - Solo Exhibition, Private Reception for Brazilian Ambassador
1987 - Margate City (United States) - Solo Exhibition, Rosalind Sailor Gallery
1987 - Philadelphia (United States) - Solo Exhibition, University of Philadelphia, Graduate School of Fine Arts
1987 - São Paulo, SP - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Ralph Camargo
1989 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - R. Burle Marx in Painting: Exhibition in Honor of the Artist's 80th Birthday, Parque Lage
1989 - Stuttgart (Germany) - Solo Exhibition, Züblin-Haus
1989 - Fortaleza, CE - Solo Exhibition, Galeria de Arte Ignes Fiuza
1989 - Frankfurt (Germany) - Solo Exhibition, Buga 89
1989 - Recife, PE - Solo Exhibition, Estudio A
1989 - Brasília, DF - Solo Exhibition, Praxis Galeria de Arte
1989 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, MNBA
1989 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Solar Grandjean de Montigny, Centro Cultural da PUC/RJ
1990 - Campinas, SP - Solo Exhibition, MACC
1990 - Campinas, SP - Solo Exhibition, Galeria Aquarela
1990 - Brasília, DF - Solo Exhibition, Performance Galeria de Arte
1990 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo Exhibition, Idea Galeria de Arte
1991 - New York (United States) - Burle Marx: The Unnatural Art of the Garden, MoMA
1992 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Solo Exhibition, La Sala Mendoza
1992 - Curitiba, PR - Solo Exhibition, Museu da Gravura Cidade de Curitiba, Sala do Lustre
1993 - Sabará, MG - Burle Marx Exhibition, Fundação Belgo-Mineira
1993 - Porto Alegre, RS - Simply Burle Marx, Espaço Cultural BFB

Group Exhibitions

1941 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 47th National Salon of Fine Arts, MNBA
1944 - Belo Horizonte MG - Modern Art Exhibition, Edifício Mariana
1944 - London (UK) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Royal Academy of Arts
1944 - Norwich (UK) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Norwich Castle and Museum
1945 - Bath (UK) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Victoria Art Gallery
1945 - Bristol (UK) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery
1945 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - 20 Brazilian Artists, National Exhibition Halls
1945 - Edinburgh (Scotland) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, National Gallery
1945 - Glasgow (Scotland) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Kelvingrove Art Gallery
1945 - The Hague (Netherlands) - Art in Freedom
1945 - La Plata (Argentina) - 20 Brazilian Artists, Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes
1945 - London (UK) - Brazilian Modern Painting, Burlington House
1945 - Manchester (UK) - Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, Manchester Art Gallery
1945 - Montevideo (Uruguay) - 20 Brazilian Artists, Municipal Commission of Culture
1945 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 51st National Salon of Fine Arts, MNBA - Gold Medal
1945 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Plastic Artists of the Communist Party, Casa do Estudante
1947 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 53rd National Salon of Fine Arts, MNBA - Gold Medal
1950 - Venice (Italy) - 25th Venice Biennale
1951 - Salvador BA - 2nd Bahia Salon of Fine Arts, Galeria Belvedere da Sé
1951 - São Paulo SP - 1st São Paulo International Biennial, Trianon Pavilion
1952 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Artists Exhibition, MAM/RJ
1954 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salon of Fine Arts - Gold Medal in Painting
1954 - Vienna (Austria) - Die Schönsten Garten der Erde
1954 - Zurich (Switzerland) - Brasilien Baut, Kunstgewebemuseum
1955 - Boston (USA) - Group Exhibition, Institute of Contemporary Arts
1955 - Lugano (Switzerland) - Incisioni e Disegni Brasiliani, Villa Cianni
1955 - Paris (France) - Brazilian Art
1955 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão das Nações
1956 - Leverkusen (Germany) - Brasilien Baut, Leverkusen Museum
1957 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Brazilian Art, National Museum of Fine Arts
1957 - São Paulo SP - 4th São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão Ciccilo Matarazzo Sobrinho
1959 - Porto Alegre RS - Group Exhibition, Margs
1959 - São Paulo SP - 5th São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão Ciccilo Matarazzo Sobrinho
1959 - Washington (USA) - Contemporary Drawings from Latin America
1962 - São Paulo SP - Selection of Brazilian Artworks from the Ernesto Wolf Collection, MAM/SP
1963 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Landscape as Theme, Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1963 - São Paulo SP - 7th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1963 - Tokyo (Japan) - Tokyo International Fair: Brazil Pavilion
1964 - Vienna (Austria) - Internationale Gartenschau
1965 - São Paulo SP - 8th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1968 - Santo André SP - 1st Art Exhibition of Santo André
1969 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - General Exhibition of Brazilian Painting, MNBA
1969 - São Paulo SP - 1st Panorama of Contemporary Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1970 - Venice (Italy) - 35th Venice Biennale
1973 - São Paulo SP - 1st Architecture Biennial, Ibirapuera Park
1974 - São Paulo SP - 1st Brazilian Tapestry Exhibition, MAB/Faap
1975 - São Paulo SP - 13th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1976 - Penápolis SP - 2nd Northwest Fine Arts Salon, Fundação Educacional de Penápolis, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Penápolis
1977 - Porto Alegre RS - Group Exhibition, Galeria Studiu's
1977 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st National Meeting of Art Galleries, Copacabana Palace Hotel
1978 - Venice (Italy) - 39th Venice Biennale
1979 - São Paulo SP - 11th Panorama of Contemporary Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1980 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Great Painters Portray Sailors, Ministry of the Navy
1981 - Maceió AL - Brazilian Artists of the First Half of the 20th Century, Historical and Geographical Institute
1982 - Berlin (Germany) - Architecture in Latin America
1983 - Montevideo (Uruguay) - 5th Maldonado Biennial, Museo de Arte de Maldonado
1983 - Olinda PE - Abelardo Rodrigues Collection of Fine Arts, MAC/Olinda
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Contemporary Brazilian Painting, Espaço Petrobras
1984 - São Paulo SP - Tradition and Rupture: Synthesis of Brazilian Art and Culture, Fundação Bienal
1985 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Six Decades of Modern Art: Roberto Marinho Collection, Paço Imperial
1985 - São Paulo SP - 100 Works Itaú, Masp
1987 - Miami (USA) - Group Exhibition, Dade Community College, South Art Gallery
1987 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Landscape Exhibition, IAB/RJ
1988 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Nipo-Brazilian Group Exhibition, Rio Design Center
1989 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Six Decades of Brazilian Modern Art: Roberto Marinho Collection, Centro de Arte Moderna José de Azeredo Perdigão
1990 - Brasília DF - Arte Brasília, MAB
1991 - Curitiba PR - Municipal Museum of Art: Collection, Municipal Museum of Art
1992 - Belém PA - 11th Arte Pará Salon, Fundação Romulo Maiorana
1992 - Campinas SP - Awarded at Contemporary Art Salons of Campinas, MACC
1992 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Nature: Four Centuries of Art in Brazil, CCBB
1992 - Zurich (Switzerland) - Brasilien: entdeckung und selbstentdeckung, Kunsthaus Zürich
1993 - Fortaleza CE - 23 Years, Galeria Ignez Fiuza
1993 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazil: 100 Years of Modern Art, MNBA
1994 - São Paulo SP - Bienal Brasil Século XX, Fundação Bienal

Posthumous Exhibitions

1996 - Belo Horizonte MG - Impressões Itinerantes, at Palácio das Artes
1997 - São Paulo SP - Arte e Paisagem: A Estética de Burle Marx, at MAC/USP
1998 - São Paulo SP - Fantasia Brasileira: The Ballet of the IV Centenary, at Sesc Belenzinho
1998 - São Paulo SP - Impressões: The Art of Brazilian Printmaking, at Espaço Cultural Banespa-Paulista
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Collectors - Guita and José Mindlin: Matrices and Prints, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1999 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Collection of Solar Grandjean de Montigny, at Solar Grandjean de Montigny
1999 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Mostra Rio Gravura: Modern Brazilian Printmaking, Collection of Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, at MNBA
1999 - São Paulo SP - Cotidiano/Arte. Consumption, at Itaú Cultural
1999 - São Paulo SP - Sobre Papel, Grafite e Nanquim, at Banco Cidade
2000 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Brasil-brasis: Remarkable and Astonishing Things. Modernist Perspectives, at Museu do Chiado
2000 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Afinidades Eletivas I, at Galeria do Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
2000 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - When Brazil Was Modern: Visual Arts in Rio de Janeiro, 1905–1960, at Paço Imperial
2000 - São Paulo SP - Brasil + 500 Exhibition of the Rediscovery, at Fundação Bienal
2000 - Valencia (Spain) - From Anthropophagy to Brasília: Brazil 1920–1950, at IVAM. Centre Julio González
2001 - São Paulo SP - Museu de Arte Brasileira: 40 Years, at MAB/Faap
2002 - Brasília DF - JK - An Aesthetic Adventure, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
2002 - São Paulo SP - From Anthropophagy to Brasília: Brazil 1920–1950, at MAB/Faap
2002 - São Paulo SP - Solo Exhibition, at Memorial da América Latina. Galeria Marta Traba
2004 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - The Century of a Brazilian: Roberto Marinho Collection, at Paço Imperial
2004 - São Paulo SP - Solo Exhibition, at James Lisboa Escritório de Arte
2005 - São Paulo SP - The Century of a Brazilian: Roberto Marinho Collection, at MAM/SP