Leading art historians, architects, designers, artists, and urbanists share new perspectives on this visionary architect’s material legacy

Lina Bo Bardi (1914–1992) is renowned for her boldly modernist designs like the São Paulo Museum of Art and the culture and leisure center SESC Pompéia. An artist, architect, designer, writer, and activist, she was a tireless champion for local craft and materials. Her democratic designs were inclusive and stood as an open invitation to those typically excluded from elitist institutions, embodying an aesthetic that stood out among the modernist movement in Brazil and abroad. This collection of essays presents new perspectives on Bo Bardi from leading contemporary artists, architects, curators, and scholars. Contributors engage with the conceptual, social, and political philosophies latent in the architectural materials she chose—from her application of concrete to her implementation of nature and her reuse of vernacular materials.

Beautifully illustrated and featuring seven gatefolds, Lina Bo Bardi: Material Ideologies sheds vital new light on the ideological strategies inherent in Bo Bardi’s iconic projects and lesser-known work.

Distributed for the Princeton University School of Architecture

"An insightful portrait of [Lina Bo Bardi’s] pioneering spirit."---Letícia Wouk Almino, Architect's Newspaper
"Material Ideologies is a wealth of insight into one of the world’s most significant (female) designers."---Kate Mazade, Madame Architect
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[Lina Bo Bardi] and its illustrations provide an opportunity to revisit Bardi’s architecture, ideas, and continuing influences—from her works in Italy, the Glass House, and her exhibition designs to the material choices of her projects.

Mónica Ponce de León is professor of architectural design and dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University. She is the editor of Authorship (Princeton).