Who Designed Villa Planchart? Gio Ponti’s Architecture in Caracas: Between Influences and Contamination

Abstract

In 1953, Armando and Anala Planchart asked the Italian architect Gio Ponti to realize a new house for them in Caracas. They did not know at the time that it would become one of the most iconic works of twentieth century architecture: “Can I be your Michelangelo?”1 Nevertheless, the correspondence between the architect and several of the individuals involved in its construction testifies to the multiple influences that can be recognized in the house. This makes it one of the clearest examples of building with the involvement of multiple authors.

Keywords

• villa planchart
• caracas
• gio ponti
• collective authorship
• clients