Oscar Niemeyer (1907 – Present)
Brazilian Modernist
From his early work with Le Corbusier to his beautifully sculptural buildings for Brazil’s new capital city, Oscar Niemeyer shaped the Brazil we see today. He became a leader in the Brazilian communist party and spoke out in defense of liberal governments. Although Niemeyer often said that architecture cannot change the world, many critics say that his idealism and socialist ideology defined his buildings.
Oscar Niemeyer was awarded the AIA Gold Medal in 1970. In 1988, when Niemeyer was 80 years old, he won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize along with American architect Gordon Bunshaft.
Niemeyer’s first wife, Annita Baldo, died in 2004. In 2006, when Oscar Niemeyer was 98 years old, he married his long-time aid, Vera Lúcia Cabreira. Niemeyer continued his architectural practice well into his hundreds.
Prominent Works:
1938: With Lucio Costa, the Brazilian Pavilion for the New York World’s Fair
1945: With Le Corbusier and others, the Ministry of Education and Health, Rio de Janeiro
1941: National Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
1947: With Le Corbusier and others, the United Nations Headquarters, New York City
1957: Brazilian National Congress
1960: Cathedral of Brasília, Brasília
1983: Samba Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
1996: Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Rio de Janeiro
