San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
At the foot of the Andes, the dense forest opens to reveal the Lola Mora Cultural Center by the late César Pelli, anchored by magnificent trees that provide a welcoming canopy.
Located in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, the cultural center houses six sculptures crafted by its namesake, an innovative artist and female trailblazer of her generation who has become a regional hero and national treasure.
Artist Lola Mora was a prominent Argentine sculptor who died in 1936. The museum was built to house six monumental neoclassical sculptures carved by Mora in Carrara marble.
Completed by Pelli Clarke & Partners together with local architect Arturo Beccar, the building’s narrow entrance gradually opens outward to a lobby and exhibition hall, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass, inviting the natural environment inside.
The cantilevered roof creates long span column free spaces that serve as a floating protection for the sculptures on display.
The design also features an interpretation center, restaurant, library, giftshop and atelier which welcomes visiting artists with opportunities for temporary exhibitions.
Surrounded by the lush Yunga forest, the building overlooks the city of San Salvador de Jujuy with the mountain range in the distance.
Balmori Associates was led by landscape and urban designer Diana Balmori before her death in 2016. She was César Pelli’s wife and longtime collaborator.
The gallery features an open design to enable views of the sculptures from varying angles and distances, while framing views of individual sculptures to create an engaged relationship between art and viewer.
The forest serves as a verdant backdrop, viewed through the wide convex glass façade that, along with skylights positioned strategically near the sculptures, flood the space with natural light.
Surrounded by the lush Yunga forest, the building overlooks the city of San Salvador de Jujuy with the mountain range in the distance.
The gallery features an open design to enable views of the sculptures from varying angles and distances, while framing views of individual sculptures to create an engaged relationship between art and viewer.
The forest serves as a verdant backdrop, viewed through the wide convex glass façade that, along with skylights positioned strategically near the sculptures, flood the space with natural light.
Project: Lola Mora Cultural Center
Architects: Pelli Clarke & Partners
Lead Architect: Cesar Pelli
Design Team: Susana La Porta Drago, Axel Zemborain, AIA Alejandra Alonso, Ileana Dumitriu, Enzo Figueres, and Tammy Monin
Architects of Record: Arturo Beccar Varela y Asociados
Landscape Architects: Landscape Design: Balmori Associates
Client: Gobierno de la Provincia de Jujuy
Photographers: Jason O’Rear
