Gustavo Giovannoni: the repercussion of his teachings in the Brazilian territory
The main aim of this article is to analyse the repercussion of the teachings of Gustavo Giovannoni, one
of Rome’s main professors, in the first half of the 20th Century, starting with the work of two architects
that immigrated to Brazil and had a very important role in the development of modern architecture
in the country: Gregori Warchavchik and Lina Bo Bardi. Both were Gustavo Giovannoni’s students.
Giovannoni is considered the “founding father” of teaching and studying architecture in Italy. Two
case studies will be discussed: Morumbi’s Chapel, which was projected by Warchavichik, and “Solar
do Unhão”, by Lina Bo Bardi, both which were influenced by the following concepts: “philological
restoration” and “scientific restoration”, according to Giovannoni’s interpretation. This restoration
theory is amongst Giovannoni’s legacy, considering the fact that he introduced the subject of restoration
of monuments to the curriculum at “Regia Scuola Superiore di Architettura di Roma”. This subject has
been thoroughly important when it comes to applying the architecture project in which both students
mentioned above stand out.
