MEXICO CITY.- The Mexican architect Abraham Zabludovsky, 78, died in Mexico City due to a heart attack. Zabludovsky died on April 9 at 4.30 p.m., according to his daughter Gina Zabludovsky. He will be buried this Thursday afternoon at the Israeli Cemetery.
The architect built works such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Rufino Tamayo (1981), the Auditorium of the State of Guanajuato, (1991) and the Theatre of the City of Aguascalientes (1991). He was born on June 14, 1924. Mexican architect Abraham Zabludovsky studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexican School of Architecture. After graduating with honourable mention by his thesis "Unidad de Habitación Colonia Hipódromo", he worked at the Mario Pani studio and then started his professional practice in 1950.
He has work extensively both in Mexico and abroad, planning and building more than 200 works, mainly private residences, housing complexes, banking buildings, and cultural centers. His work tends to take into account the existing features of the site, using its own language characterised by a reassessment of the wall, searching for lasting textures -particularly the use of chiselled concrete with exposed marble chips- and a concept of space that traces the patios and porticoes of traditional Mexican architecture as a link between interiors of his buildings and the urban space outside.
Among his most outstanding works: Horacio and Schiller Apartment Building, Mexico City (1959); Centenario Cinco de Mayo Civic Center, Puebla, Puebla (1962); Bernard Shaw Apartment Building, Mexico City (1965); Torres de Mixcoac Residential Complex, Mexico City(1967)*; Sacal House, Mexico City (1968); INFONAVIT Main Offices, Mexico City (1973)*; Mexican Embassy, Brasilia, Brazil (1973)*, Also with Francisco Serrano: El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City (1975)*; Emilio Rabasa City Theatre, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas (1979); Rufino Tamayo International Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexico City (1981)*; Bilbao Vizcaya Bank (Multibanco Mercantil de Mexico): Main Offices, Mexico City (1982); Mexico Library at La Ciudadela, Mexico City (1988); Los Tamayo Rest Home, Oaxaca, Oaxaca (1989); Multipurpose Auditorium, Celaya, Guanajuato (1990); National Auditorium: Enlargement and Remodelling, Mexico City (1990)*; City Theatre, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes (1991); Multipurpose Auditorium, Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato (1991); State Auditorium, Guanajuato, Guanajuato (1991); La Cantera Residential Complex, Mexico City (1992); Abraham Zabludovsky Private Studio, Mexico City (1993); Multipurpose Auditorium and Convention Center, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas (1995); Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Cultural Center, Nepantla, State of Mexico (1995); International Airport Hotel (project), Mexico City (1995); Site Museum and Recreational Sports Center "Cerro del Judío" (project), Mexico City (1997); Tourist and Camping Center in the Ajusco (project), Mexico City (1997); Santa Fe Office Building, Mexico City (1999).
Member of the Mexico City School of Architecture; Honorary Fellow and Founder of National Academy of Architecture; Honorary Fellow of The American Institute of Architects; Professor and Academic of Intenational Academy Of Architecture in Sofia, Bulgaria; Foundation Member of the Art and Communication Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina (INCA+A). Along his carrer he has received several awards, among them: National Award of Science and Arts in Bellas Artes, 1982*; The Grand Latin American Award in the Buenos Aires Architectural Biennial, Buenos Aires, Argentina 1989*; The Award of the Mexican Intitute of Cement and Concrete for his work "Banamex Lomas Financial Center", 1989*; Gold Medal in the Sofia Architecture Biennal, Sofia, Bulgaria, for his work "Multipurpose Auditorium, Celaya, Guanajuato" 1991. The Mexico City Medal in 1991; Gold Medal in the Mexico Biennial of Architecture for his work "Banamex Cuadra Complex" in 1992*; The Mexican Society Award of Geography and Statistics for best work of Architecture in the Aguascalientes State, 1992; Arts Emeritus Creator in 1993; Ex-Aequo Grand Award in the second Architectural Biennal of Brazil BIAB’94* International honourable mention in the Pan American Biennial of Architecture in Quito, Ecuador, 1994; Vitruvio Award in Buenos Aires, Argentina in merit to his trajectory in the Latin American Archtecture for his creations and contributions in the culture of towns in 1994.
His works has been shown in several relevant events and museums around the world, such as in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, United States, Spain and in Mexico. A chosen exhibition of his work has been recently shown in Barcelona, Madrid, Pamplona and La Coruña in Spain.
Among some of his publications are, Arquitectura Contemporánea Mexicana (1969), published by Central de Publicaciones, S.A.; Ocho Conjuntos de Habitación, arquitectura contemporánea mexicana (1976), published by Arquitectura y Sociedad, editores, S.A.; Mexican Architecture (1978), published by Walker publishing Company, Inc.; Abraham Zabludovsky Imagen y obra escogida (1984), published by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; La Ciudadela (1991), published by the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes; Abraham Zabludovsky Architec (1993), published by Princenton Architectural Press, Inc.; Abraham Zabludovsky arquitecto (1995), published by Noriega Editores; Abraham Zabludovsky: Historia Oral de la Ciudad de México: Testimonios de sus arquitectos (1995), published by the Instituto Mora y la Loteria Nacional para la Asistencia Pública. Recently, Noriega Editores and the Consejo Nacional Para la Cultura y las Artes, published a two volume edition with the complete works, containing essays by Jorge Glusberg and Paul Heyer at the moment, there is a printing process of an edition called Abraham Zabludovsky y la Vivienda, published by Arquine.