Oscar Niemeyer
From Archiplanet
| Oscar Niemeyer | |
| Born | 1907; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Education | Escola Nacional de Belas Artas |
| Firms | Le Corbusier |
| Notes | |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/architects/Oscar_Niemeyer.html |
Contents |
[edit] Works
- Church of St Francis, at Pampulha, Brazil, 1943. GreatBuildings page
- Ministry of Education and Health (now the Palace of Culture), (with Le Corbusier, Lucio Costa, Jorge Machado Moreira and Afonso Eduardo Reidy) at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1937 to 1943.
- National Stadium, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1941.
- United Nations Headquarters, with others, at New York, New York, 1947 to 1953. GreatBuildings page
- Cathedral at Brasilia, at Brasilia, Brazil, 1957 to 1964.
- Communist Party Headquarters, at Paris, France, 1967 to 1972.
- Samba Stadium, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1983.
- Museo Oscar Niemeyer, at Curitiba, Brazil, 2000. GreatBuildings page
- Memorial da América Latina, São Paulo, Brazil
[edit] Discussion
Oscar Niemeyer was born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 1907. He graduated from the Escola Nacional de Belas Artas in Rio de Janeiro in 1934, and in 1935 he joined the office of Le Corbusier on a new Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro. This proved a formative experience for Niemeyer.
In 1942, Niemeyer created a series of recreational buildings which borrowed extensively from the expressive Brazilian Baroque style of architecture. In 1956 Niemeyer was appointed architectural adviser to Nova Cap - an organization charged with implementing Lucio Costa's plans for Brazil's new capital. The following year, he became its chief architect, designing most of the city's important buildings. The epoch of Niemeyer's career, these buildings mark a period of creativity and modern symbolism.
Niemeyer continued to work on Brazilia until 1964 when his political affiliation with the communist party forced him into exile in France. In the late 1960s he resumed his career in Brazil, teaching at the University of Rio de Janeiro and working in private practice. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architecture in 1970.
[edit] The Creator's Words
"Here, then, is what I wanted to tell you of my architecture. I created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awareness of the fact that what is important is life, friends and attempting to make this unjust world a better place in which to live."
— Oscar Niemeyer. The Curves of Time: the memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer, p176.
[edit] Details
- AIA Gold Medal Recipient, 1970
- Recipient, Pritzker Architecture Prize, 1988.
- Recipient of the Japan Art Association's Praemium Imperiale, 2004
Oscar Niemeyer
Avenida Atlantica 3940
CEP 22070-002
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
vox +55 21 523 4890
fax +55 21 267 6388
[edit] References
- "Classic Home 062", by ArchitectureWeek, ArchitectureWeek No. 283, 2006.0419, pH1.
- "Postcard from London", by Don Barker, ArchitectureWeek No. 161, 2003.0903, pD1.1.
- Oscar Niemeyer. The Curves of Time: the memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer. London: Phaidon, 2000. ISBN 0-7148-4007-6. — Available at Amazon.com
- Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p113-114.
[edit] External Links
- FUNDAÇÃO OSCAR NIEMEYER — Oscar Niemeyer Foundation
- Oscar Niemeyer Pritzker Prize — Several pages of good background information, at the Pritzker Prize site.
- "Architect of Optimism" - Financial Times, 2007.0413.
- Oscar Niemeyer leaves lasting imprint on homeland - Belleville News-Democrat, 2006.1019
