Carlos Salazar Gutiérrez ("Salaguti"), Casa Museo / The house museum

picture (August 2009) courtesy of Victor Castelo, Flickr

Located in the community of Sasamón, near the city of Burgos in Spain, this singular architecture is a house to live in, a workshop and a museum, and it is rather special, isn't it?

Life and works

This building.was constructed single-handedly by Carlos Salazar Gutiérrez, born in Sasamón on July 12, 1944, who is also known as Salaguti.

As a young man he wanted to be an artist, notably a sculptor and a painter. In 1962 at age 18 he was admitted to the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, but he was soon suspended and so he became a self-taught artist.

Salaguti made all kinds of sculptures which he sold to private collectors. but he also has made artistic constructions such as fountains and monuments for public places in Spanish communities,

Here is an example of a sculpture he made for a square, the Plaza Alonso Martinez, in Burgos:

picture courtesy of Beatriz Arreba

In the late 1970s, around 1977,  Salaguti began to construct a house, both with the intention to live and work there and to have a museum to expose his creations.

It became quite a special structure, characterized by a huge, some four meters high sculpted elf-portrait of the bearded artist, which is part of the outside wall. The two story building has various other special features, like a wall with all kind of faces which emerge in relief.

picture (August 2010) courtesy of Jroberto2005, Flickr

The house is located on a hill in a quiet rural area, some kilometers from the center of Sasamón and as far as I understand, when the artist is at home, visitors are welcome to come inside to see Salaguti's artwork.

Local authorities apparently are positive about this singular architecture. On Sasamón's official website the site is announced as one of the interesting places of the community to view.

Situation late 2021 

The picture above, made in October 2021 by Tiramisu Bootfighter, who traveled through Spain in the context of his project La Valise, Galerie Ambulante, shows that the site at that time still was in good condition.

Documentation

* Salaguti's website
* Javier Hernando Carrasco,  "La escultura-museo de Salaguti (Sasamón, Burgos)", in: Juan Antonio Ramirez, red, Escultecturas margivagantes: la arquitectura fantástica en España,  Madrid (Siruela), 2006.
* Website The Great Learning with pictures of emerging faces

* Articles with a variety of photos on the weblg of Sophie Lepetit, May 26 2023 ( exterior) and May 27 2023 (interior) 

* Article (April 2023) on website Panibericana

Video

* Scenes of the site (2014), both of its exterior and is interior, on the North Spain trip video by Serflac (YouTube, starts at 1.10.47, cannot be embedded here)

* Video by Ruvalle Leon (YouTube, 2021, 4'56")

first published July 2011, last revised June 2023

Carlos Salazar Gutiérrez ("Salaguti")

Casa Museo
Carretera Citores del Paramo
09123 Sasamón, Burgos, Castilla y Leon, Spain
can be visited when the artist is at home

photos on Google Maps