Around 1949, the city of Buenos Aires led the construction of the Sixth Pantheon in the Chacarita neighborhood. Monumental in character and brutalist in style, this underground necropolis turned out to be the first and largest experiment in modern architecture in the funerary field. Designed by Ítala Fulvia Villa, one of the first Argentine women architects and urban planners, and a pioneer of South American modernism, along with her team comprised of Leila Cornell, Raquel S. de Días, Gunter Ernest, Carlos A. Gabutti, Ludovico Koppman, and Clorindo Testa, this work was discovered by Léa Namer, who conducted an in-depth investigation reflecting on the legacy of a modern utopia and a feminist rereading of history.
“Chacarita Moderna: The Brutalist Necropolis of Buenos Aires” presents the research undertaken by Léa Namer along with a broader reflection on the relationship of contemporary societies with death and cemeteries. Emphasizing the connection with the history of Ítala Fulvia Villa and getting to know some of the caretakers of the Sixth Pantheon, the book highlights the context, project, and design of a place of collective rest as a delicate art for architecture professionals. In this instance, the brutalist style and the plasticity of concrete were able to provide a new funerary aesthetic along with the monumentality necessary for a site of these characteristics.
