The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art
Closes Jan. 14

Due to its mathematically determined lineaments, inhuman scale, and colorless materials, modern architecture gained a negative reputation in the 20th century. But not all Modernists were equally guilty, as demonstrated by the work of the Mexican architect Luis Barragan, subject of an exhibition at the Watari-um (Watari Museum of Contemporary Art) in Jingumae, Tokyo.

Initially influenced by Le Corbusier, Barragan soon realized that a house wasn't, after all, "a machine for living in," but rather an emotional space. His concept of "emotional architecture" emphasized the need for serenity to counter the hectic stresses of modern living, a goal he pursued through warm colors, secluded spaces, and by giving his structures water features and natural backdrops, including lush vegetation and even outcrops of lava.

In view of this reputation, it is surprising that the exhibition is held in one of the most awkward exhibition spaces in Tokyo. With three small exhibition floors above a gift shop — all connected by a solitary elevator — there is little room for the flow of revitalizing energy that Barragan believed in.

This is partly ameliorated by the fact that the exhibition does not attempt to recreate the spatial dynamics of his designs, but instead chooses to take a more intimate look at the man by recreating elements of his own home, including furniture, books, photos, letters, doodles and items borrowed from his art collection, including abstract works by Josef Albers and naive, figurative paintings by Barragan's friend and collaborator Chucho Reyes.

For more information, visit www.watarium.co.jp