We visited Sitio Roberto Burle Marx in Sep 2022, when Rio was experiencing several days of torrential rain. I had to cancel our first two attempts to visit due to the weather, but the rain hadn't stopped even on the day we finally went. Although this review is two years overdue, I thought I'd document my experience visiting the site and share some thoughts about Burle Marx, whom people have both criticised and revered.

Getting started

We took an Uber from our accommodation in Ipanema to the site, and the trip took a bit longer than the usual hour-long journey. As previous reviews have emphasised, it’s essential to book ahead since the guided tours have limited capacity. We checked in at the gate and waited at the administration building. I took a copy of the visitor's guide, which proved helpful when trying to remember our tour.

The tour started on time and lasted for about 1.5 hours. The guide gave us the usual introduction to the site and the life of Roberto Burle Marx. As expected, the guide praised Burle Marx’s contributions to modernist landscape design and pointed out that the dude is more than just landscape architect–he was also a painter, printmaker, and jewellery designer. The guide also told us that the visitable area is just a small portion of the property, which includes forested areas at the foothills of Barra de Guaratiba. Walking through the gardens it was clear that Burle Marx had planted various floral varieties together to create striking artistic compositions. The plants were arranged in mosaic-like patterns, with varying shades of green and yellow covering the forest floor. I thought it was impressive—probably even for those who are not into gardening or landscaping.

The Buildings

Our first stop was the Santo Antônio da Bica chapel. A wooden pole stands on one side in front of the chapel. The guide said that the chapel was still in use at the time of our visit. We then visited the Loggia, a roofed space with walls and posts covered by beautiful Portuguese blue tile panels. Burle Marx used this small space as a studio. After that, we went to Burle Marx’s House, a rather modest-looking building that contained fantastic religious and modernist art. Take note of the wooden animal heads and other art pieces on the veranda of the house. I thought the dining area was also spectacular—it felt more like a museum space than a place to commune and eat. I liked the kitchen as well, especially the decorations hanging on the wall above the kitchen sink.

We then moved on to the Stone Kitchen, a roofed and shaded open area where Burle Marx held parties. The space featured wall paintings and terraced backyard waterfalls. I reckon many visitors found this spot to be a perfect expression of what Burle Marx was aiming for: a built environment featuring structures that harmonise well with the surrounding garden landscape. Personally, I thought it was the best place to take a bit of a breather. We culminated our visit at the Studio, a tall concrete structure with an old stonework facade and a modern interior, featuring a spacious hall and openings with metal and glass frames. Several artworks were installed there, and we were given the chance to roam around before ending the tour. We then headed back to the administration building via winding stone steps that led down the slope, giving the visitors a chance to see more of the gardens within the compound. 

Looking back at the visitors guide I realised that we didn’t really visit other structures within the compound, such as the Graziela Barroso Shade House and the Stone House. If the current tours do not include them, it might be worthwhile to set aside a bit of time before the tour starts to visit these buildings.

On Burle Marx

While people have praised Burle Marx, it's obvious that some have also questioned his legacy. I mean, he was connected to Castelo Branco's oppressive military regime as an appointee and had imported numerous exotic plants that could have been detrimental to Brazil's local flora. Those to me are ethically questionable.

But it helps to put a bit of context to his actions. His careless introduction of exotic plants is frustrating, especially for someone who's working in policy and trained as a biologist. However, my feelings about the legality of his actions may be anachronistic, given that Brazil's biosecurity regulations during his time were likely less developed. I have to acknowledge that he was an advocate against deforestation in Brazil.

I also felt like the tour would've been better if it had been upfront about his privileged status and connections to the dictatorship. Well, the tour is a homage to his contributions, and it'd be a bit of a red herring and nitpicking to focus solely on his wealth to invalidate his contributions and undermine this UNESCO site. Should we absolve Burle Marx from whatever criticisms he received? Definitely no, but I reckon context always helps.