1913-Born in Barcelona on August 13..
1932 - While he studied Architecture in the University, his friend Guillermo Días Plaja introduce him to José Luis Sert y JosephTorrés Clave, whose office was one of the most reputed of that time, and is there where Bonet start working and receives his first rationalist formation. José Luis Sert, older than Bonet, he was already engaged with the ideas of the modern movement at that time and he was an active member of GATPAC which was a Catalan group (1930-1936) that follows the avant-garde architectonic trends. As a student, he eagerly participated in this group, whose objective was to modify the architecture of that period. Attracted by the rationalist ideas of the rest of Europe, Barcelona was a favourable atmosphere to embark on a cultural adventure. In the time he spent en Sert´s office, Bonet works in the Roca´s jewellery projects, the houses of Garraf, the Parbulario and the MIDVA; stand obtaining in this last one the first award in the Decorator Showroom of Barcelona.
1933 - Together with Sert and Rivas Seba, he attends to the IV International Congress of Modern Architecture held on board of the “Patris II” (Mediterranean cruise whose journey composes Marseilles, Athens, and Marseilles) in which the “Athens Charter” was drawn up (essential document for the architectonic culture of the XX century). In such manifest the ideas of inhabiting, circulating, working and resting were put forward as the main concepts for urban development. The document is regarded as The Bible of modern urbanism. In this period, Le Corbusier and Bonet meet Aalto, Fernand Léger and other eminences. The very Bonet tells such meeting in this way: “I was twenty years old when I met Le Corbusier and I asked him to work in his office once I have finished my studies. In this way, I began working with one of the pioneers of the modern trend in June 1936…”
1936 - He finishes his studios while working in the Pavilion of the Republic and before getting his official Architect degree, he moves to Paris to enter in Le Corbusier office. He lively describes the life in the atelier of the Rue de Sévres: “Le Corbusier was a very special person; his study was little organized in comparison with other important ones. He used to go only in the afternoon since he spent his morning painting his house. I think that the fact that he religiously paints in the mornings, illustrates a singular personality and an unusual will. Le Corbusier´s partner (Pierre Jeannerei), who was his cousin at the same time, was in fact in charge of the studio while his friend Charlotte Perriand was responsible for furniture designing”. He adds: “I didn´t earn one cent for sure”. It is there where he carries out two projects working together with the Chilean surrealist painter Roberto Matta Echaurren. In Le Corbusier´s office, Bonet projects freely la Mason Jaoul. Not only is he in charge of the general planning that Le Corbusier used to do for the International Exposition of Lieja , but he also designed the main building that prove to be the Water Pavilion. Bonet tells us about that moment: “I put together the surrealist concepts with the funcionalist architecture that was on fashion at the moment I did these two buildings. It meant the release from the excessive subjection to rationalism …” The search that is described throughout this text will be one of the most important aspects of his work.
1937 - Both Le Corbusier- presenting “Des Temps Nouveax Pavilion”- and Bonet working together with Sert -presenting the Spanish Pavilion-, exhibit together in the International Showroom of Paris. Such work had been asked to Sert y Lacasa by the Government during the Civil War, thus, the symbolic nature of the building was preponderant. The piece of work was a big proportion Stand, made in a rationalist style. This should act as a link among the different piece of art of Spanish artists that were on display in harmony with architecture. The artists who took part were Miró, Calder, Alberto and Picasso- where he carried out the famous “Guernica”-. It was the concept of unity the main symbol of that period. During Bonet´s stay in Le Corbusier office in Paris, there were also two young Argentineans architectures in the capacity of drawers: Juan Kurchan and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy who, as well as Bonet, they also looked for experience and knowledge working side to side with the Master. Since he took part in the GATPAC in those years, he stated: “this movement had little life, it practically occurs during the years of the Republic, from 1930 to 1936, and at the end of the Civil War the movement finally disappeared. It was considered that the GATPAC was a left-wing group and that modern architecture belongs to a concept that was international, thus, not Spanish, which was unacceptable for the Spanish State. Once the War in Spain was finished, not even on piece of work was done, say, progressive, and I reckon this happens until 1955; Spain did not take part in all the architecture progress of those years...” Spain had been destroyed and was sunk into poverty by the end of the Civil War which makes it nothing but the worst country for an architect to start his career. Owing to all this episodes, Bonet gladly accept the offer of his colleagues of moving to Argentina.
1938 - He arrives at Buenos Aires in April and five months later he founds the Austral Group together with Kurchan and Hardoy. The very Bonet carries out an intense campaign in favour of modern architecture. Without the shadow of a doubt, his effort to spread such movement had an important influence in the stylistic change that suffers the Argentinean architecture, which finally welcomed the new ideas. It was this year that Bonet projects a building in the corner formed by Paraguay and Suipacha streets.
1939 - The three of them become partners and they create and design together the famous Bekaef “BKF” chair, named in this way because of the first letters of their names. Subsequently, it would be known as the African Chair or simply African, whose validity still lasts nowadays, which clearly shows the quality of the creators. From 1950, such chair composes the permanent collection of the New York Modern Art Museum and in 1958 it also makes up the Illinois Institute of Design’s collections. The Institute of Technology included it in a list of the one hundred best industrial designs of modern times.
1944 - In the 40s, Bonet is hired by an Argentinean Investment Group with the aim of designing a town-planning project for the famous zone of “Portezuelo”, in the department of Maldonado. Bonet takes advantage of this great opportunity in which he could put into practice all the experience gained working with Le Corbusier. The town-planning proposal of “Portezuelo” proves to be paradigmatic in our circle; it shows the correct urban intervention that should be put into practice along our privilege oceanic coast. He conserved the leafy wood planted by Mr. Antonio Lussich; he planned two different roads for the cars and for the pedestrians and designed aerial bridges in order to prevent pedestrians from crossing the vehicle track; he also designed the traffic system in a sinuously way so that the visitors have unexpecting views that change constantly, and at the same time, avoiding speeding. He avoided creating a prominade with the purpose of preserving the sea front; he planned big enough lots in order to provide future landlords with privacy.
1945 - He settles down in a house in the middle of the wood crates by Mr. Antonio Lussich and begins the town-planning of the zone, where he carries out many other projects: the construction of “Solana del Mar Inn”, the Berlingieri Houses, Cuatrecasa, Booth and his own (La Rinconada). He also works in the extension of “El Peñasco”, a magnificent piece of work by Julio Vilamajó carried out over an old ranch house and it was here were the friendship between the two artists begins. Bonet invites the young engineer Eladio Dieste, who was starting in the technique of the “cerámica armada” (kind of pottery), to work in the solution of the dome of the Berlingieri House. He builds “La Gallarda” for the poet Rafael Alberti. Moreover, he projects many buildings that nowadays are still considered as extremely important. They are- in chronologic order-, “La Gallarda” house, inn and restaurant “La Solana del Mar”, the holiday houses of Berlingieri and Cuatrecasas in 1947, Booth and “La Rinconada”(this last one belongs to himself), in 1948. After more than a decade, exactly in 1959, he builds a church in the village of Soca (ex Mosquitos).
1948 - He comes back to Argentina. He receives a vast number of jobs which include both town-planning and private houses
1960 - He projects and builds the Church of Soca (Uruguay) on the basis of an idea of a structure that bends. The chapel was asked by the Soca family and was afforded by the writer Susana Soca.
1962 - Bonet projects together with Dominguin and Picasso an indoor bullring, whose façade would portray a big ceramic mural designed by the painter from Malaga.
1963 - He definitely moves to Spain with his wife Ana Maria and his daughter Maria Victoria. He settles down in Madrid. In view of the end of his American stage, he definitely settles down in his country in this year and opens two offices –one in Barcelona and the other one in Madrid-.Not only did he carry out a lot of excellent projects in Barcelona and Madrid, but also in many other places of Spain.
1963 - 1964 - Together with Maria Ayillo, they projects and builds the “Banco del Plata”, in the Zabala street in Montevideo.
1965 - 1987 - He projects, designs and builds any number of both public and private buildings in Spain and America.
1989 - He projects, designs and builds any number of both public and private buildings in Spain and America.
From Bonet´s work, we can learn a lot of architecture, it is a work to study thoroughly, to get close to it, touch it and contemplate it time and time again. It is an inexhaustible work of art. Not only did Bonet absorb certain elements from Le Corbusier, but we can also see other influences such as Alvar Aalto or Mies van der Rohe. Bonet also has an inexhaustible creativity as he constantly creates and invents new things, in a more carefully way than Le Corbusier. In his legate Bonet clearly shows that beyond earning money with Architecture, (e.g. Punta Ballena -a highly profitable urbanization-), money can be spend without forgetting the former objective. The great lesson of Bonet lays in the fact of having attributed importance to this and, for this reason, he opened a path to follow.
He was born and died in Barcelona but he was a man of many worlds. He took his degree in his city, he worked in Paris with Le Corbusier, he discussed about architecture with Alvar Aalto and Richard Neutra and painting with Fernand Leger and Picasso. One fine day he arrived in The River Plate, he left his legate in Buenos Aires and crossed the river, arrived at Maldonado and carried out this invaluable work which is “Punta Ballena” town-planning.
Historic recompilation combined by Ernesto Merzario. Any reproduction must be consulted and accepted according to regulations in force.
