vibrant art center 'casa neptuna' stands out amid native forest landscape in uruguay

colorful art hub ‘Casa Neptuna’ by Edgardo Gimenez

Fundación Ama Amoedo has announced its new residency program for 2023, which will be housed in the colorful Casa Neptuna in José Ignacio, Uruguay. The building, commissioned to Argentine artist and designer Edgardo Gimenez, takes shape as an eye-catching cluster of vibrant volumes conceived to stimulate the imagination and encourage original artistic expression. Set against the backdrop of the natural oceanic environment and native forest landscape, the art center stands out from the site thanks to its bright green façade and unexpected geometric architectural elements.

Casa Neptuna takes shape as an eye-catching cluster of vibrant volumes | all images courtesy of Cristobal Palma

a laboratory for ideas and experimentation

Similar to the exterior, the interior of Casa Neptuna is characterized by spacious and bright rooms tailored to meet the needs of the artists. According to Fundación Ama Amoedo (find more here), the vibrant home can accommodate two guests at a time and features a large shared studio, private bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a kitchen, and a shared multipurpose room. The house serves as both a living and working space, essentially acting as a ‘laboratory’ for creative experimentation. During their stay, artists are invited to add a book to Casa Neptuna’s library, and thus add their own signature to the artistic hub. 

the art hub stands out from the site thanks to its bright green façade

about Edgardo Giménez

Casa Neptuna marks one of the three otherwordly houses designed by Argentine artist Edgardo Giménez. The other two are Casa Amarilla (1979-81) commissioned by Eduardo Szwarcer in Punta Indio, Argentina, and Casa Azul (1970-72) commissioned by art critic Jorge Romero Brest and Marta Bontempi in City Bell, Buenos Aires.

Born in 1942 in the Argentine province of Santa Fe, Edgardo Giménez is a self-taught artist who began his work in advertising graphics. He gained popularity during the Pop movement and his time at the Institut Torcuato di Tella in Buenos Aires when he ventured into the field of architecture as well as graphic, interior, object, and clothing design. His furniture pieces, paintings, fashion designs, and theater scenes are iconic in South American art history.

the structure incorporates a series of unexpected geometric architectural elements

the house serves as a laboratory experimentation

circular and colister-shaped openings emerge in the bright façade

project info: 

name: Casa Neptuna
architect: Edgardo Gimenez
commissioned by: Fundación Ama Amoedo
location: José Ignacio, Uruguay
photography: Cristobal Palma | @cristobalpalma