Last December, curator Oscar Humphries flew to Mexico City to visit the home and studio of late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Luis Barragán. While there, he noticed a weaving by Eduardo Terrazas – a friend of Barragán’s and an artist represented by Timothy Taylor, the seasoned British gallerist who will open his first stateside space in New York this month. Humphries, who began his career with Taylor in London, had a eureka moment. ‘As I thought more about Tim’s program of modern and contemporary work, I felt like his first New York exhibition should be an imaginative, historic one that also includes primary work,’ Humphries says. He soon set about organising a presentation that examines Barragán as well as artists with whom he shares a visual synergy.
The result, titled ‘Architecture of Color: The Legacy of Luis Barragán’, relates the human scale of the architect’s largely residential work to the intimacy of the Chelsea gallery, which is referenced in its name, Timothy Taylor 16x34 (its size in feet). Archival material from the Barragán Foundation in Switzerland, together with photographs by Armando Salas, who captured nearly all of Barragán’s work, illustrate the Guadalajara native’s extraordinary use of colour, shapes and light.
Untitled, by Agnes Martin, 2002 (left); Wall Pale Yellow, by Sean Scully, 2016. Courtesy of Cheim & Read (right)
‘Barragán’s buildings have a specific atmosphere. They elicit feelings we experience more commonly from proximity to great art, which, of course, the best architecture is,’ Humphries writes in the exhibition catalogue. To that end, alongside Barragán’s buildings Humphries places pieces by other artists – many of whom were greatly impacted by trips to Mexico – creating conversations in colour. Highlights include work by Josef Albers, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Sheila Hicks, Agnes Martin and Sean Scully.
Barragán also designed furniture, which was never put into production but serves as a compelling parallel to his approach to architecture. Made of wood, leather, and vellum, his project-specific pieces translate rural Mexican furniture into a modernist vocabulary. On view here are two chairs and a bench from Cuadra San Cristóbal (1966–68), Barragán’s famed equestrian project in Los Clubes, Mexico City.
For Taylor, the poetic spirit and scope of Barragán’s work is a fitting narrative for 16x34’s debut. ‘Its combination of emotion and rigor is completely in tune with the London gallery’s programme and the ambitions I have for this space,’ he says. ‘This inaugural exhibition perfectly defines this landmark moment for us.’
The Oscar Humphries-curated show also includes work by artists with whom Barragán shares a visual synergy. Pictured left to right: Cuadra San Cristóbal (1966-68), Fuente de los Amantes (1966); Clubes, Mexico City (1966), all by Armando Salas. Courtesy Barragán Foundation, Switzerland
Barragán also designed furniture, which was never put into production but serves as a compelling parallel to his approach to architecture. Pictured left (center): Pair of Chairs from Cuadra San Cristóbal Estate, by Luis Barragán, 1968. Courtesy Barragán Foundation, Switzerland. Pictured right: three furniture pieces by Donald Judd
For Timothy Taylor, the poetic spirit and scope of Barragán’s work is a fitting narrative for 16x34’s debut. Pictured left: works by Barragán. Right: examples of Eduardo Terrazas’ Cosmos series, 2016
INFORMATION
‘Architecture of Color: The Legacy of Luis Barragán’ is on view until 19 November. For more information, visit the Timothy Taylor Gallery website
Photography: Michael Vahrenwald
ADDRESS
Timothy Taylor 16x34
515 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
-
Explore Hiroshima through the eyes of those who rebuilt itJapan’s architectural phoenix continues to rise. ‘The Hiroshima Architecture Exhibition 2025’ explores a legacy of memory and modernism across 23 architects and artist groups
-
At Design Miami Paris, an artful menagerie tells a story of scent and natureVikram Goyal and Sissel Tolaas present ‘The Soul Garden’ at Design Miami Paris (until 26 October 2025), ‘a contemporary fable where the animals take new forms, reimagined for the world we live in today’
-
Check in at Aman Rosa Alpina, a modern Alpine cocoonSan Cassiano’s historic hotel has been reborn as a pared-back Aman refuge in the heart of the Dolomites
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennialOne of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
-
Inside a Courtney Love-inspired art exhibition in New YorkLiza Jo Eilers looks to the glory days of Hole at an exhibition at Grimm New York
-
Thomas Prior’s photography captures the uncanny fragility of American lifeA new book unites two decades of the photographer’s piercing, uneasy work
-
Apple unveils its next-gen camera in a powerful new photography exhibitionThe new iPhone 17 Pro Max takes centre stage in a New York exhibition where artists Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu explore the theme of joy
-
Central Park’s revitalised Delacorte Theater gears up for a new futureEnnead Architects helmed an ambitious renovation process that has given the New York City cultural landmark a vibrant and more accessible future
