Oscar Niemeyer

Lore & Background

Niemeyer was educated at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. After graduating, he worked at his father's typography house and as a draftsman for local architectural firms. In the 1930s, he interned with Lúcio Costa, and they collaborated on the Palácio Gustavo Capanema in Rio de Janeiro. His first major project was a series of buildings for Pampulha, a planned suburb north of Belo Horizonte, at the invitation of its mayor, Juscelino Kubitschek. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Pampulha received critical acclaim and drew international attention.

In 1956, Niemeyer was invited by Brazil's new president, Juscelino Kubitschek, to design the civic buildings for Brasília. His designs for the National Congress, Cathedral of Brasília, Palácio da Alvorada, Palácio do Planalto, and Supreme Federal Court were experimental and linked by common design elements. This work led to his appointment as inaugural head of architecture at the University of Brasília. Due to his left-wing ideology and involvement with the Brazilian Communist Party, Niemeyer left the country after the 1964 military coup and opened an office in Paris. He returned to Brazil in 1985 and was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988.

Reader's Guide

Oscar Niemeyer's significance lies in his role as a key figure in modern architecture, particularly through his pioneering use of reinforced concrete to create free-flowing, sensual curves. His work on Brasília established a new vocabulary for civic architecture, blending modernist principles with Brazilian context. Both lauded and criticized as a 'sculptor of monuments,' he was hailed as a great artist by supporters. His architecture was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier, but Niemeyer stated that this did not prevent his work from going in a different direction. Over a 78-year career, he designed approximately 600 projects, including the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum and the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. His legacy includes influencing generations of architects and demonstrating how modernism could adapt to local culture and landscape.

Did You Know?

• Niemeyer said his architecture was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier, but assured this did not prevent his architecture from going in a different direction.
• He was both lauded and criticized for being a 'sculptor of monuments.'
• Niemeyer served as president of the Brazilian Communist Party from 1992 to 1996.
• He designed approximately 600 projects over a career of 78 years.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"It's funny, the power of beauty, to make us forget such injustice. É estranho o poder da beleza, que nos faz esquecer tanta injustiça." — Oscar Niemeyer "Humanity needs dreams to endure misery, even if just for an instant.A humanidade precisa de sonhos para suportar a miséria, nem que seja por um instante." — Oscar Niemeyer "My work is not about "form follows function," but "form follows beauty" or, even better, "form follows feminine." — Oscar Niemeyer "I was attracted by the curve — the liberated, sensual curve suggested by the possibilities of new technology yet so often recalled in venerable old baroque churches." — Oscar Niemeyer