Oscar Niemeyer
Early Life and Education
Oscar Niemeyer Soares Filho was born on December 15, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He grew up in a wealthy and cultured family of German, Portuguese, and Arab descent. His grandfather was a judge on the Brazilian Supreme Court, and his family was part of Rio’s intellectual and social elite.
Niemeyer was a carefree and bohemian young man, more interested in soccer, samba, and the vibrant street life of Rio than in his studies. He finished high school at the age of 21 and married Annita Baldo a year later. He has often said that his decision to marry and start a family at a young age was what finally motivated him to pursue a career.
In 1929, he enrolled in the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro to study architecture. The school’s curriculum was still based on the French Beaux-Arts tradition, but Niemeyer was more interested in the new, modern architecture that was emerging in Europe.
During his time at the school, he began to work for free in the office of Lúcio Costa, one of the pioneers of modern architecture in Brazil. Costa was a charismatic and influential figure, and he became Niemeyer’s mentor and lifelong friend.
In 1936, a major opportunity arose when the Brazilian government commissioned a new building for the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro. Costa assembled a team of young Brazilian architects, including Niemeyer, to design the building. He also invited the great Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier to come to Brazil as a consultant on the project.
Le Corbusier’s visit was a transformative event for Brazilian architecture and for Niemeyer personally. Niemeyer was deeply impressed by Le Corbusier’s radical ideas, his use of reinforced concrete, and his sculptural approach to form. He worked closely with Le Corbusier on the ministry building, and his own design for the project was eventually chosen by Costa to be the basis for the final building. The Ministry of Education and Health building (1943) became a landmark of modern architecture in Brazil and launched Niemeyer’s career.
Architectural Philosophy and Career
Oscar Niemeyer’s architectural philosophy was a celebration of freedom, sensuality, and the beauty of the curve. He was a pioneer of modernism who rejected the rigid, right-angled geometry of the International Style and created a new, lyrical, and distinctly Brazilian form of modern architecture.
His philosophy is famously summed up in his own words: “It is not the right angle that attracts me, nor the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. What attracts me is the free and sensual curve—the curve that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuous course of its rivers, in the body of the beloved woman.”
Niemeyer’s work is characterized by its bold, sculptural forms, its innovative use of reinforced concrete, and its deep connection to the landscape and culture of Brazil. He was a master of creating buildings that were both monumental and graceful, both rational and poetic.
He was a lifelong communist, and his political beliefs were an important part of his architectural philosophy. He saw architecture as a tool for social progress, and he was interested in creating public buildings that would be accessible and inspiring to all people. He believed that architecture should be a source of surprise and delight, and he rejected the “miserabilism” of a purely functionalist approach.
His career was long and incredibly prolific, spanning over eight decades and including more than 600 projects around the world. His early work was heavily influenced by Le Corbusier, but he soon developed his own unique and personal style.
The 1940s were a period of great creativity for Niemeyer. He designed a series of buildings for the Pampulha neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, a new suburban development. The Pampulha complex, which included a casino, a ballroom, a yacht club, and the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, was a showcase of his emerging style, with its flowing, organic forms and its integration of architecture, landscape, and art.
The most important project of his career, and one of the most ambitious architectural projects of the 20th century, was the design of Brasília, the new capital of Brazil. In 1956, his friend and mentor, Lúcio Costa, won the competition to design the master plan for the new city. Costa then invited Niemeyer to design the major government buildings.
Over the next few years, Niemeyer designed a stunning series of buildings for Brasília, including the National Congress, the Cathedral, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court. The buildings, with their bold, sculptural forms of white-painted concrete, created a unified and futuristic cityscape that became a symbol of modern Brazil.
In 1964, a military coup overthrew the Brazilian government. As a known communist, Niemeyer was forced into exile. He moved to Paris and spent the next two decades working on projects in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He returned to Brazil in 1985, after the end of the military dictatorship, and continued to work with undiminished energy until his death.
Notable and Famous Works
Oscar Niemeyer’s portfolio is filled with iconic and highly recognizable buildings that have become landmarks of modern architecture.
The National Congress of Brazil (1960) in Brasília is one of his most famous works. The building consists of a long, low-slung office block that is flanked by two towers and topped with two dramatic, symbolic forms: a dome for the Senate and a bowl for the Chamber of Deputies.
The Cathedral of Brasília (1970) is a stunningly beautiful and original work of religious architecture. The cathedral is a hyperbolic structure of 16 concrete columns that curve inwards to form a crown-like shape. The space between the columns is filled with stained glass, creating a light-filled and ethereal interior.
The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (1996) near Rio de Janeiro is one of his most famous late works. The museum is a dramatic, saucer-shaped building that is perched on a cliff overlooking Guanabara Bay. The building’s futuristic form and its spectacular setting have made it a major tourist attraction.
The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (1943) in Pampulha is a key early work. The church is composed of a series of parabolic concrete vaults of different sizes, and its walls are covered in blue and white ceramic tiles by the artist Cândido Portinari. The building’s unconventional form was so controversial that the church was not consecrated for over a decade.
The Copan Building (1966) in São Paulo is a massive, 38-story residential building with a distinctive, undulating, S-shaped facade. The building is a city within a city, with over 1,100 apartments and a large commercial ground floor.
The French Communist Party Headquarters (1980) in Paris is one of his most important works from his period of exile. The building is a graceful, curving glass tower that sits above a subterranean conference hall with a dramatic, dome-shaped ceiling.
Awards, Honors, and Legacy
Oscar Niemeyer received numerous awards and honors for his work. In 1988, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, along with the American architect Gordon Bunshaft. He also received the Lenin Peace Prize (1963), the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (1998), and the Praemium Imperiale in Architecture from the Japan Art Association (2004).
His legacy is that of a poet of the curve and a true pioneer of modernism. He created a new architectural language that was both modern and deeply Brazilian, both universal and intensely personal.
He was one of the most prolific and long-lived architects in history, and his work has had a profound impact on the built environment in Brazil and around the world. He was a man of strong convictions, both political and aesthetic, and he remained a committed communist and a champion of the curve until the end of his life.
His work has been criticized by some for its formalism and for its perceived lack of concern for the human scale. However, his supporters see him as a visionary artist who brought a new sense of freedom, beauty, and joy to modern architecture.
He was a true national hero in Brazil, and his buildings are a source of great pride for the Brazilian people. He was a man who loved his country, its people, and its landscape, and he translated that love into an architecture of extraordinary power and beauty. Oscar Niemeyer died on December 5, 2012, just ten days before his 105th birthday.