Catherine Seavitt—MILITARY GARDENS: Roberto Burle Marx in Brasília

Catherine Seavitt examines two rarely addressed moments in the career of Roberto Burle Marx (1909–1994): his absence from the initial planning and execution of Brasília in 1960, and his later affiliation with Brazil's military dictatorship as a member of the Conselho Federal de Cultura in the late 1960s and early 1970s. For Seavitt, any discussion of Brasília and Roberto Burle Marx must acknowledge these episodes. Burle Marx executed three significant landscapes for the military government's new ministries in Brasília, including two ministry palace gardens at the head of the monumental axis and a grand triangular plaza, Praça dos Cristais, at the army headquarters in the military sector, all in collaboration with architect Oscar Niemeyer. Commissioned in 1967 by the very Ministério do Exército that controlled the regime, the Praça dos Cristais was envisioned as a vast military parade ground, facing Niemeyer's monumental complex of the Quartel-General do Exército and inaugurated in 1973.
This talk draws on Seavitt's book Depositions: Roberto Burle Marx and Public Landscapes under Dictatorship (University of Texas Press, 2023), supported by a 2017 grant from the Graham Foundation, and is presented in conjunction with by Leonardo Finotti, on view at the Graham Foundation April 2–July 18, 2026.
Catherine Seavitt is Meyerson Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. She is the faculty codirector of the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology and creative director of the department’s LA+ Journal. A registered architect and landscape architect, she is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, and the American Academy in Rome. Her research explores urban landscapes, post-industrial sites, toxicity, and inventive plant knowledge, with a focus on actionable responses to the climate crisis and decarbonization. Seavitt’s books include (University of Texas Press, 2023); , with Guy Nordenson and Julia Chapman (Island Press, 2018); and , with Guy Nordenson and Paul Lewis (Hatje Cantz, 2019).
Note: This event will be held in the ballroom on the third floor of the Madlener House, which is only accessible by stairs. A livestream will be available on the first floor. The first-floor galleries and bookshop are accessible via outdoor lift. For accessibility accommodations or to request remote access, please contact us at 312.787.4071 or [email protected].

Image: Roberto Burle Marx, aerial view of the Crystal Plaza garden for the Ministry of the Army with Oscar Niemeyer's Army Headquarters complex seen beyond, 1972, Brasília, Brazil. Courtesy of the Arquivo Público do Distrito Federal.

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