Co-organized by Bisman Ediciones and the Catholic University of Santa Fe (Santos Mártires campus, Posadas, Misiones), the exhibition “Misiones Moderna” focuses on the province's public architecture between 1955 and 1965, a period fostered by the Provincialization Law of 1953. Running until November 30, 2023, at the Casa de Misiones in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the exhibition has also been on display at the Bisman Ediciones Gallery and Architecture Residency inside the “Artists' Studios Building” by Antonio Bonet, Horacio Vera Barros, and Abel López Chas.
“Misiones Moderna” presents a synthesis of the work carried out between the 2017 and 2023 academic years by fifth-year Architecture students and faculty at the Catholic University of Santa Fe – Santos Mártires campus in Posadas, within the elective course “Modern Architecture in Misiones,” taught by professors Mario Daniel Melgarejo and Alina Bistoletti under the direction of Dean Gabriel Biagioni. Seeking to contribute to the country's architectural culture and highlight the historical processes behind these works, the exhibition features a series of architectural models of buildings designed and built in Misiones between 1955 and 1965. These are accompanied by blueprints and photographs, offering a reflection on the influence and relevance that Modern Architecture achieved in the province.
On December 22, 1953, the National Territory of Misiones became a province, initiating a transformation process in which architecture played a leading role. Since the province lacked the infrastructure and facilities suited to its new institutional status, the provincial government launched a series of works as part of a regional and urban master plan covering the education, healthcare, security, tourism, institutional, energy, transport, and housing sectors. Through national and regional design competitions, projects and construction carried out between 1955 and 1965 drew the participation of renowned architects such as Clorindo Testa and Carlos Alberto Morales, among others.
Clorindo Testa, Boris Dabinovic, Augusto Gaido, and Francisco Rossi built six healthcare units, five police stations, and three tourist rest stops. Meanwhile, during the first two phases of the competitions (1956 and 1957), Mario Soto and Raúl Rivarola were awarded four primary schools and six tourist inns, designed as prototypes using wood and brick as primary materials to integrate local construction techniques with modern spatiality. These were followed by projects such as the Social Security Institute in Posadas (1959) and the Normal School No. 1 in Leandro N. Alem.
During the third stage of the competitions, Marcos Winograd, Víctor Sigal, Bernardo Sigal, and César Vapñarsky developed the Tourism Hotel in Eldorado (1957). Alongside the work of the Buenos Aires-based firms that arrived in Misiones, local architects participated in the same process, delivering high-quality buildings tailored to the province's demands. Carlos Alberto Morales, Francisco Degiorgi, Jorge Pomar, and Emilio Fogeler formed the group of “local modernists” with works such as the Mercado Modelo (URBIS Group) and the Housing Block, both part of the first Neighborhood Unit proposed by the Posadas Master Plan in 1957. Additionally, Morales built the Eldorado Bus Terminal in 1956, using folded concrete plates to synthesize structure, form, and space.
Showcasing an architecture tailored to the climate, landscape, and local availability, the case studies featured in the exhibition include:
Curators: Gabriel Biagioni (Dean FAD – UCSSF), Mario Daniel Melgarejo, and Alina Bistoletti (IHTCAP – FAD)
Curatorial Support: Analía Cáceres
Supported by the Secretary of State for Culture of the Province of Misiones and the Ministry of General Cabinet Coordination – Casa de la Province de Misiones in the Federal Capital
Sponsored by the Association of Forestry Producers, Industrialists, and Merchants of Misiones and Northern Corrientes (APICOFOM)
Endorsed by the Pan-American Federation of Architects' Associations (FPAA) and its Network of Pan-American Museums (Red MAPA)
With the collaboration of Desalvo
The Gallery of Bisman Ediciones is sponsored by and organized in collaboration with the Pan-American Federation of Architects' Associations (FPAA) / Red MAPA, the Architects' Association of Catalonia (COAC) / Open Architecture Center, the Embassy of Spain in Argentina / Cultural Center of Spain in Buenos Aires, the Operational Management of Heritage / Ministry of Culture (GCBA), the Professional Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CPAU), the Institute of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of San Martín (IA-UNSAM), the Higher School of Architecture and Design of the University of Morón (UM), the Model Museum (FADU-UBA), the Tejido Urbano Foundation, the IDA Foundation, Moderna Buenos Aires, Open House Buenos Aires, and Saint-Gobain.
This article was written by Agustina Iñiguez. The translation is powered by AI.
