Niemeyer

by Philip Jodidio

Until his death at age 104, Oscar Niemeyer (1907–2012) was something of an unstoppable architectural force. Over seven decades of work, he designed approximately 600 buildings, transforming skylines from Bab-Ezzouar, Algeria, to his homeland masterpiece Brasília.Niemeyer’s work took the reduced forms of modernism and infused them with free-flowing grace. In place of pared-down starkness, his structures rippled with sinuous and seductive lines. In buildings such as the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Edifício Copan, or the Metropolitan Cathedral in Brasília, he brought curvaceousness to the concrete jungle. In the futuristic federal capital of Brasília, he designed almost all public buildings, and thus became integral to the global image of Brazil.With rich illustrations documenting highlights from his prolific career, this book introduces Niemeyer’s unique vision and its transformative influence on buildings of business, faith, culture, and the public imagination of Brazil.

Genres: Architecture, Art, Brazil

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2012

Reviews

[Matthew O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short introduction to Oscar Niemeyer. Its a very short book however the section of the French Communist Party headquarters was very interesting. I think it could have leaned more into the anti-colonial nature of his architecture in particular the Université des sciences et de la technologie Houari-Boumediene in Algeria however it was still a nice little book. I will certainly buy more books from this range.