A student of the great French architect Le Corbusier, the most devoted servant of modernism and the author of more than 600 buildings around the world, Oscar Niemeyer passed away at the age of 104, just ten days before his 105th birthday. It happened on December 5 in Niemeyer's native Rio de Janeiro. Niemeyer's buildings made a real revolution in the architecture of Brazil of the 20th century - for 80 years of his work he changed the face of this country.

Oscar Niemeyer was born December 15, 1907 in Rio de Janeiro. He attended a privileged college where he first developed an interest in architecture.

Oscar Niemeyer with his wife and daughter. 1930s

In the 1930s, any buildings in Niemeyer's homeland still copied neoclassical European architecture - the buildings looked like luxuriously decorated Baroque palaces and did not correspond in any way to the new way of life of people. However, by the will of fate, Oscar managed to break the ideas of his compatriots about how buildings should look. In the early 40s, he met Juscelino Kubitschek, the future president of Brazil, who invited Niemeyer to develop a development project young city, designed to become the new capital. Niemeyer agreed and after 4 years (from 1956 to 1960) he surprised the whole world with his bold futuristic buildings of administrative buildings in Brasilia. There were no more magnificent and idle buildings, so boring to the eye of the Brazilians, there were only smooth, flexible lines of new buildings, dearly loved by the architect himself.

With his works, Niemeyer not only shaped a new look national architecture Brazil, but also rid the country of its colonial past, still reflected in art, and, moreover, gave it confidence in the future. He managed to develop his own unique style in architecture and was the first to use monolithic reinforced concrete to create smooth, graceful, openwork structures.

Government Palace in Brasilia, 1960

In addition to creating buildings in Brazil, Oscar Niemeyer has also been active outside of Brazil, collaborating with foreign companies. In the early stages of his career, he became known to the world as a participant in the project to create the UN headquarters in New York. Later, during his emigration to France (due to the onset of the military dictatorship in Brazil), Niemeyer created many public buildings for Europe as well. The architect was cut off from his homeland and yearned for it, but he was able to return back only in 1985. Three years later, in 1988, Niemeyer received the main architectural award - the Pritzker Prize.

Work in his native Brazil continued until the death of the architect. When he returned, he created a memorial named after President Kubizek, a museum of modern art in Niteroi, his own museum and the Oscar Niemeyer cultural center, where the famous Brazilian carnival takes place.

Residential building "Copan" in Sao Paulo, 1951-1965

“I am not attracted to right angles and straight, unchanging and clear lines created by man. I am attracted to curves, free and sensual. Those curves that we can see in mountain silhouettes, in the form of sea waves, on the body of a beloved woman,” wrote Niemeyer in his memoir The Curves Of Time. Buro 24/7 offers to recall some of his "curvilinear" works, which left a significant mark on the history of architecture. In the meantime, Brazil has declared a week of mourning for the departed genius today, and on Friday everyone will be able to say goodbye to Oscar Niemeyer in Rio de Janeiro.

Ibirapuera Auditorium in Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, 2002

“The main thing in architecture is that it be new, touch a person’s soul, be useful to him, so that a person can enjoy it ...”

Ibirapuera Auditorium in Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, 2002

"Only concrete allows me to control the bends of such a wide range ... concrete provides a continuous modulation of space"

Palace of the National Congress in Brasilia, 1960

National Museum Brazil, 2006

“All my life I have loved to look at the clouds, waiting for revelation in their ever-changing forms”

Cathedral in Brasilia, 1960-1970

Memorial to Kubizek, 1980

"...straight lines and angles divide and divide space, and I have always loved curves, which are the essence of the nature around us"

Museum of Modern Art in Niteroi, 1996

Museum of Modern Art in Niteroi.

“A freely curved and sensual line beckons me. That line that reminds me of the mountains of my country, the bizarre bends of the rivers, the high clouds, the body of the woman I love.”

Oscar Niemeyer Foundation in Niteroi

Oscar Ribeiro di Almeida di Niemeyer Soaris Filho realized the first project (a nursery in Rio de Janeiro) in 1937, in his incomplete 30 years. The last project realized during the lifetime of the architect was the television tower in Brasilia, opened in 2012. Niemeyer worked constantly and tirelessly. On his desktop, there was a project for a restaurant building in Rio de Janeiro, on which the 104-year-old architect worked in last days.

The Creator is alive in his creations. And this means that more than 400 buildings built by this fantastic architect in 18 countries of the world continue the life of their Creator. At the moment, according to his project, the construction of the Pele Museum in the city of Santos is being completed. And how many more are ready, but for now unrealized projects see life thanks to colleagues and students of Niemeyer, our descendants will be able to tell.

The ninth genius of the 100 geniuses of our time is one hundred and two years old. This is an outstanding Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

Oscar Niemeyer is a brilliant child of the 20th century, a student of the great French architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965) and the last of the famous urban planners of the past century living today. Buildings built according to Niemeyer's designs were admired by the entire world architectural galaxy of modernism of the last century. Time is fleeting. The 21st century has come, the century of cosmic scope. Admiration for the achievements of the twentieth century is on the wane. But the ingenious creativity of the Brazilian architect in the last century, of course, became a powerful springboard into the 21st century.

Oscar Niemeyer built only public buildings. The epochal scale of his thinking, combined with the “international” structure of his soul, are the qualities that allowed the artist of space to create monumental buildings that have become a modern portrait of our planet.

Oscar Niemeyer joined a group of Brazilian architects in the 1930s. Worked in his workshop famous countryman, urban planner, Lucio Costa, together with him designed the buildings of the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro, where the latest architectural tools were used for the first time.

The architect designed the Brazilian Pavilion at the New York World's Fair and amazed the world with his sports and entertainment complex in Pampulha. Oscar Niemeyer in 1957 became the chief architect of the new capital of Brazil - Brasilia. Together with Lucio Costa, he designed all the major public buildings of the new city, including the Palace of Dawn - the presidential palace, the Palace of the Arches - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Court, the cathedral and the Congress buildings.

UNESCO has recognized Brasilia as a world architectural heritage, as the city is the most complete ensemble of modernism in the world, a kind of gallery city. Niemeyer was able to ingeniously adapt the "international style" to the exoticism of the tropics of the Brazilian landscape. Using curved lines, the architect was able to give the reinforced concrete structures a lyrical, even somewhat baroque, feel.

The work of Oscar Niemeyer has been studied in detail by experts who divide it into five stages. The number of buildings designed by the architect is very large.

The first stage of Niemeyer's work, 1940-43, is the original use of straight and curved lines in the construction of government buildings. The architect solves the problem of combining formal elements with functional principles compositions of complex structures.

The second stage is the decade from 1943 to 1953, which plunges Niemeyer into the search for new artistic means. At this time, his reinforced concrete buildings acquire a lyrical look, thanks to the combination of construction with sculpture, with a tropical landscape.

The third stage is the next 12 years, 1953-1965, when he led the project to build the new capital of Brazil.

The fourth stage - 23 years, from 1965 to 1989. Lives in Europe, gets acquainted with antiquity. While retaining his individuality, his work is enriched by the civic significance of buildings.

The fifth stage - from 1989 until now - is the polishing of the creative style, an even more vivid embodiment of the author's personality in the social significance of the buildings. Niemeyer creates a cultural structure - the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi and the memorial "Latin America" ​​in São Paulo.

Since the end of April 2010, Oscar Niemeyer Suaris Filho, born in Rio de Janeiro, who gave his country Brazil the appearance of the twentieth century, has been hospitalized.

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Chava Tor. Epoch Times

Niemeyer worked constantly and tirelessly. On his desktop, there was a project for a restaurant building in Rio de Janeiro, on which the 104-year-old architect worked in the last days of his life.

The Creator is alive in his creations. And this means that more than 400 buildings built by this fantastic architect in 18 countries of the world continue the life of their Creator. At the moment, according to his project, the construction of the Pele Museum in the city of Santos is being completed. And how many more finished, but so far unrealized projects will see life thanks to colleagues and students of Niemeyer, our descendants will be able to tell.

“There is no architecture ancient and modern. There is good or bad

“The main thing in architecture is that it be new, touch a person’s soul, be useful to him so that a person can enjoy it ...”

“All my life I have loved to look at the clouds, waiting for revelation in their ever-changing forms”

“...straight lines and angles divide and divide space, and I have always loved curves, which are the essence of the nature around us”

“A freely curved and sensual line beckons me. That line that reminds me of the mountains of my country, the bizarre bends of the rivers, the high clouds, the body of the woman I love.”

“Only concrete allows me to control curves of such a wide scope… concrete provides a continuous modulation of space”

1. House Canoas (Casa das Canoas) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1954

Drawings and photographs of this house, built by Niemeyre for his family, have been included in international reference books on architecture as a vivid example of the fusion of the building with the surrounding nature. There are no clear boundaries and corners here, the design of the house is adapted to the unevenness of the earth's surface. One of the walls of the house was erected over a huge stone that had lain for millennia in this place. Part of this stone is located in the courtyard, while the other creates the original interior of the living room.

2. National Congress - Brasilia, Brazil. 1958

This most famous building of Oscar Niemeyer is located on the central axis of the capital of Brazil. It is considered to be the main architectural dominant of the city.

The building is inscribed in the surrounding relief and is connected to the administrative buildings by underground passages. Behind the Congress building is the Three Powers Square, where solemn parades and meetings of official guests.

3. Palace of Dawn (Palácio da Alvorada) - Brasilia, Brazil. 1958

This three-story building with a total area of ​​7000 m², located on the peninsula of the Paranoa reservoir, is the official residence of the President of Brazil.

Medical center, conference room, swimming pool, several dining rooms, music room and library…

The first floor of the palace is intended for official receptions; on the second floor there are premises for the personal use of the president and his family.

4. Residence Copan (Résidence Edificio Copan) - Sao Paulo, Brazil. 1966

A huge undulating building, reminiscent of waving flag, it is the largest residential complex in Latin America.

In principle, this is one house. But the house is so big that it even has its own zip code. On an area of ​​6006 m², under the roof of the 38-storey Copan, there are six residential blocks, in which about 5 thousand people live, and a shopping center.

5. Cathedral (Catedral de Brasília) - Brasilia, Brazil. 1970

It was for the design of this cathedral that Niemeyer received the Pritzker Prize "for the best building in the style of modernism."

Sixteen hyperboloid columns of the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is symbolized by 8 pairs of hands raised to the sky.

To get inside the cathedral, you need to go down a few meters underground. Passing through the dark corridor, as if through the darkness of his own sins, the visitor finds himself in a light, bright, fabulous space. The light from the ceiling and through the stained-glass windows, located between 16 columns, gives a feeling of endless heavenly happiness.

6. Cultural Center Volcano - Le Havre, France. 1982

Cultural Center The volcano is one of the sights of the city of Le Havre. It consists of two blocks, which are named respectively " big volcano” and “Small Volcano”. The Bolshoi has a 1200-seat theater and a 350-seat cinema. In Maly there are several different halls from 60 to 500 seats.

7. Museum of Modern Art - Niteroi, Brazil. 1996

According to the architect, this is his most grandiose project.

Everything is grand here: unusual appearance the building, which everyone unanimously dubbed the "alien spaceship"; the arrangement of exhibition halls in a spiral; and the mesmerizing view from observation deck. This view of Rio de Janeiro with a huge sculpture of Christ, with the ocean and beaches, often distracts museum visitors from the expositions themselves.

8. Oscar Niemeyer Museum - Curitiba, Brazil. 2002

The Museum of Video Art, Architecture and Design covers an area of ​​19,000 m². The museum building, 16 m high with a three-story dome 50 m in diameter, is installed in the center of an artificial reservoir on a concrete pedestal.

Of the many nicknames, two have stuck to this building: “ All-seeing eye and Oscar's eye. During the day, the "eye" made of mirror glass reflects the sky, and at night it glows from within.

9. Ibirapuera Concert Hall (Auditório Ibirapuera) - Sao Paulo, Brazil. 2005

The public unanimously decided that almost a century-old architect Oscar Niemeyer thus "showed his tongue to the whole world." And indeed, a bright red visor over the entrance to concert hall looks like a long tongue.

One of the design features of the building is the ability to lower the rear wall. Thus, viewers have the opportunity to watch performances while being in the open air.

10. Digital Television Tower - Brasilia. 2012

Construction television tower was completed in 2010, for the 50th anniversary of the city of Brasilia, but Grand opening took place only 2 years later, on April 21, 2012.

The total height of the tower is 180 m. The 60-meter top is, in fact, a metal television antenna.

Niemeyer called the 120-meter base of the tower with two branches ending in glass domes "The Cerrado Flower". In the upper "flower", 80 meters from the ground, it is planned to open a restaurant, and the lower "flower" will be used as an art gallery.

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Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the buildings are as much a Brazilian brand as coffee, football, carnival and the statue of Christ. In anticipation of the opening of XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Life #Dom tells about the main architect of Latin America, in whose work, as it turned out, there is so much Soviet.

Oscar Niemeyer died in 2012 at the age of 104, leaving behind over 400 buildings in 18 countries. Modern look the capital Brasilia is largely his merit. His name has become synonymous with the new Brazilian architecture. For 80 years of his work, he created the architectural appearance of the two largest Brazilian cities - Rio and Brasilia, leaving behind the outdated colonial style, so familiar to Latin America.

Oscar and the UN building

He began his career in 1939 designing the Brazil Pavilion at the New York World's Fair ( New York World "s Fair). But Niemeyer received the status of an architectural superstar after he became a member of the team of architects who participated in the development of the project for the UN headquarters in New York. The final appearance of the building was based on his ideas, which included only small additions to his teachers - Le Corbusier.

After the completion of the construction of the UN headquarters, Niemeyer was appointed to the post of dean high school design at Harvard University, but the US government denied him an American visa because of his membership in the Brazilian Communist Party. " Ideological enemy"say...

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The fundamental novelty of the approach was the fusion of the utopian and the monumental: looking at the inverted white bowls and two parallel columns, one might think that inside this space building there is a gallery of modern art or art university, but certainly not the boring bureaucratic corridors of the National Congress of Brazil.

The same can be said about the cathedral in the form of hands raised to the sky, in which an unprepared viewer is unlikely to recognize a religious building. And even more difficult to believethat all these plastic and fluid structures are built of monolithic reinforced concrete.

The most famous buildings that Niemeyer designed in Brasilia include the Palace of the National Congress, the Government Palace, the Ministry of Justice, the Palace Supreme Court, Palace of Dawn, Cathedral. After the proclamation of Brasília as the new capital, Niemeyer resigned as chief architect of the government and returned to the life of a private architect.

By the way, a casino in a wealthy suburb was never used for its intended purpose: in 1946, the Brazilian authorities passed a law banning gambling, and the building turned into the Museum of Modern Art.

Oscar and the Communists

In his youth, Niemeyer was interested in communist ideology, and in 1945 he joined the Brazilian Communist Party, which twenty years later became a serious problem for him: then the government was overthrown in a military coup.

Oscar Niemeyer sympathized with the USSR, knew Fidel Castro, and in 1963 won the Lenin Prize for "strengthening peace among peoples."

Because of his leftist views, he had to flee the country in 1965 and settle in France, where he took up the design of residential buildings for Europe and North Africa and also designed furniture.

Niemeyer designed the headquarters of the Communist Party in Paris in 1985, and a little later - at the end of the military dictatorship - returned to his homeland.

Russia, unfortunately, is not included in the list of countries where Niemeyer left an architectural mark. But, despite this, the Brazilian has a lot in common with the Soviet constructivists: the same adherence to the principles of functionalism, the choice of clean lines and white as opposed to any ornaments and textures, as well as projects for the construction of mass housing. The only thing in which he, perhaps, differed from them was his love for smooth lines and curves instead of sharp corners and clear lines.

One of the most famous mass housing projects was the Copan residential building in São Paulo, reminiscent of a frozen sea ​​wave, is the largest residential complex in Latin America. On an area of ​​6000 m² fit 38 floors and almost 5 thousand inhabitants. "Copan" even has its own postal code. This work echoes Le Corbusier's "Housing Unit" in Marseille and communal houses in the USSR.

Oscar gets an Oscar

The 80s of the 20th century were a time of critical rethinking of constructivism, when such living classics of architecture as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, who at one time proposed to blow up European cities to build them up with the same "home-cars for living."

It was obvious that the communist project was failing all over the world, and criticism artistic principles ideology that had lost its relevance was taken for granted.

The Brazilian utopia was also criticized: Brasilia became a symbol of the decline of modernism and the unfulfilled promises of a brighter future. Huge empty squares, filled with monumental white buildings surrounded by slums, seemed a symbol of the ultimate social inequality and alienation.

And in the late 80s, Niemeyer finally received the architectural "Oscar" - the Pritzker Prize. In his acceptance speech, he said: "My architecture follows the old principle where beauty prevails over the limitations of constructivist logic."

Oscar Niemeyer continued to work until old age. In 1996, at the age of 89, he designs and builds the Museum of Modern Art in Niteroi, a fantastic flying saucer hovering over a cliff near the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the last projects of the great architect was the concert hall "Ibirapuera" in Sao Paulo. The red visor above the entrance resembles a long protruding tongue - this is how the almost century-old architect "showed his tongue" to the whole world.

Oscar Niemeyer(port. Oscar de Niemeyer; 12/15/1907 - 12/05/2012) - an outstanding Brazilian architect of the XX century, the founder of the modern Latin American school of architecture, an innovator in the field of reinforced concrete architecture. Member of the Communist Party, member of the Presidium of the Peace Council, laureate of the International Lenin Prize "For strengthening peace among peoples" (1963).

The 20th century is rich in global events that occurred in ideology, politics and economics, science and technology, culture and medicine. In it difficult time many geniuses of art appeared in the world, who gave mankind masterpieces, which to this day conquer us with their greatness. One of these brilliant creators was the greatest architect, the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer. The recognized artist of space erected only majestic public buildings. The boundlessness of the flight of his thought and the "international" structure of the soul allowed the master to create monumental structures that formed a modern portrait of our planet.

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Biography

Oscar Ribeiro Almeida Niemeyer Suarez Filho was born December 15, 1907 in . A wealthy family of Portuguese-German origin had six children. The boy was brought up in the house of his grandparents, mother's parents.

The boy's grandfather served as Minister for the Supreme Court of Brazil. Throughout his life, Oscar carried memories of an authoritarian, but kind grandmother, who created a warm atmosphere of friendship in the house, surrounding children with love and care. The young man studied at elite college where he first became seriously interested in architecture.

The mother died when the future architect was very young, and the father lived to a ripe old age, he liked to come to his son's workshop and watch his work for hours.

In 1930, the young man entered the National School of Fine Arts, architecture faculty. At that time, Lucio Costa, a public figure and a young architect, was appointed director of the school. He attempted to bring training course to modern requirements life, open the way to new artistic trends, directing students' attention to the achievements of national architecture. Due to the opposition of the reactionary professors, the progressive director, having not worked for even a year, was forced to leave his leadership position, despite the protest of the students who supported him and went on strike. Oscar kept friendly relations with L. Costa throughout his life.

At the age of 21 (1928), the young man got married, in 1934 he graduated from the School of Fine Arts, and in 1936 he joined a group of Brazilian architects, starting to carry out independent projects.

Carier start

The first implemented project of the novice architect was a nursery in hometown(1937). He built the composition of the building surrounded by greenery on a combination of 2 volumes: an elongated 2-story building with a garden on a flat roof, and a 4-story, cubic, raised on pillars.

In the late 1930s in Brazil began to form national school modern architecture, the first plan of which was the capital building of the Ministry of Education and Health (port. Palacio de Gushtavu Capanema; 1937-1943). Initially, the project was led by L. Costa, but since 1939 it was headed by Oscar Niemeyer.

For its time, the idea was very bold, the building subsequently had big influence to Latin American architecture. When decorating the palace, only local materials. The internal concrete frame of the building made it possible to build wide glass facades, and modern sun protection in the form of blinds was installed on the windows. In 1939, the Costa-Niemeyer tandem built the Brazilian pavilion at the World Exhibition in New York, which clearly manifested the features of freedom, freshness and national color. The image of the pavilion harmoniously combines respectability and eccentricity.

The demand for the architect was growing rapidly, in 1940 he met the then mayor of a Brazilian city (port. Belo Horizonte). Period 1940-1943 was marked by the design of a number of government buildings, in which there is an interweaving of truly Brazilian elements with clear and strict classical ones, which creates an inimitable play of straight and curved lines.

The most important works of the master

The most important work of O. Niemeyer in the early 1940s, which was a true pearl of the architecture of modern Brazil, was a sports and entertainment complex in the suburbs of Belo Horizonte (port. Belo Horizonte). Started at that time political career, energetic Juscelino Kubitschek conceived to turn this desert area into a modern elite recreation area and turned to the architect who was becoming fashionable. From that moment it began Team work customer and architect, who since the mid-1940s. there was no end to orders.

During this period of time, according to his projects, buildings were built:

The author introduced poetic leitmotifs into the architecture of that period, organically combining architecture with sculpture. He strives to fit buildings into the environment. natural landscape, actively uses his engineering and technical abilities, studies the advantages of using new materials, becoming one of the pioneers of the artistic possibilities of monolithic reinforced concrete.

In 1945 Oskar Niemeyer joined the Communist Party. In 1947, the architect was involved in the design of the building of the UN headquarters in New York.

A successful architect built houses for his own family. In 1949, in Mendis, not far from Rio, he built a small one-story cottage. By creating house in canoa(port. Canoa - a suburb of Rio de Janeiro), the architect demonstrated his own aesthetic creative principles, embodied and fully expressed his aesthetic "creed" (1954). Guided by his own taste, as well as trying to satisfy the everyday and aesthetic needs of family members, the master created a structure that immediately attracted attention. architectural world. The house, built on a hillside, is partially "cut" into it: bathrooms are located in the underground rooms. The Casa das Canoas is now a museum.

Famous house in Canoa

Since the late 1940s, in the context of rapid economic development, the states of Niemeyer began to attract topics that are global in size and role in urban planning. He dreamed of a grand task where his professionalism could benefit his people.

The fruitful period of the 50s of the twentieth century

In the 50s. of the last century, the Brazilian master of architecture decisively departed from stereotypes, he designed structures - original sculptural works, reminiscent of architectural monuments of an unprecedented civilization, always clearly looming against the background of a tropical sky. He came up with his own unique style, in which the forms of a traditional Indian hut coexist with the majestic arcades of colonial architecture, and spherical domes, reminiscent of UFO saucers, seem to look into space age. The columns of the master, as if barely touching the ground, seem weightless; its powerful reinforced concrete buildings are visually devoid of massiveness, they look surprisingly plastic and light, and the green landscape and water harmoniously woven into the exterior seem to enliven them

Such buildings of the 1950s (in addition to the "ideal city of dreams") include: a village in Sao Jose dos Campos (port. São Jose dos Campos); hospital " South America"(1952 - 1959) in Rio de Janeiro; "Niemeyer Tower" (1954) and residential complex. Kubizek (1951-1962) in Belo Horizonte (port. Belo Horizonte); the building of the confectionery factory and business center "Montreal" (1950); residential buildings "Eiffel" (1955) and exhibition complex(1951 - 1954) in (port. São Paulo).

Since 1957, on the initiative of J. Kubitschek, who became President of Brazil in 1956, Oscar Niemeyer began to actively work on the development of the city (port. Brasília). The architect enthusiastically worked on the appearance of the new capital of the country, showing himself in a new way, using expressionism in his work.

Work in Brasilia (since June 1958), including directly on the construction site, associated with overcoming numerous difficulties, was a real human, creative and patriotic deed masters and brought wonderful fruits that have become an adornment of world architecture.

According to the master plan, the outlines of the city resemble a bird taking off. Rigid functional zoning is combined with a progressive solution to the transport problem (road junctions, underground and surface pedestrian crossings), classic splendor - with the severity and clear symmetry of the axial development. The residential area is stretched along the highway, curved in strict accordance with natural relief, and perpendicular to it, along the crest of the peninsula, a grandiose gentle staircase of squares descends to the reservoir, on both sides of which government and important public buildings lined up. The peculiar expressiveness of the city was achieved due to the contrast unusual shapes buildings of the business center and residential complexes, made in strict geometric shapes.

Many architectural projects of that era were a reflection of the dream of an extraterrestrial reality. One of these buildings was Palace of the National Congress of Brazil(1960). The building was built in the form of a parallelepiped, on which there are 2 hemispheres, between which 2 parallel 100-meter skyscrapers rise. Under one "bowl" turned down, there are rooms
The Senate, under the second, turned up - the premises of the Chamber of Deputies.

For the design of the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, created by the architect in these
years, in 1988 Oscar Niemeyer was awarded the Pritzker Prize (eng. Pritzker Architecture Prize - an award awarded annually for achievements in the field of architecture). The building of the Cathedral consists of 16 columns, which symbolize hands raised to the sky. The gaps between the columns are covered with stained-glass windows. Due to the peculiar architecture, the entire interior space is always filled with light.

According to the projects of the architect in Brasilia were built: Alvorada Presidential Palace(port. Palacio da Alvorada - "Palace of Dawn"; 1958); "Palace Hotel" (1958); "Planalto" (port. Palacio do Planalto - "Palace of the Plateau"; 1960) - the working residence of the President of the country; Palace of the Supreme Court(1960); National Congress and Corps of Ministries(1960); National Hotel(1962)

Oscar Niemeyer: The Immigration Years

Since the second half of the 1960s, the talent of the South American architect began to be recognized in world cultural and professional circles. Due to his adherence to the ideology of the communists, during the military dictatorship, Niemeyer emigrated to France (1964 - 1985), visiting his homeland from time to time, supervising the construction of Brasilia. In Europe, he deeply studies the cultural heritage of antiquity and moves to the next creative stage, which is characterized by originality of ideas and originality of forms. The buildings of the master acquire more and more rigorous technical shades.

During this period, he built a number of buildings in France, Italy, Lebanon, Ghana, Algeria. The architect developed the project of the Brazilian airport for free (1965). main goal the designer was to create “... the gates of the new capital, which would be in such harmony with its architecture, so that everyone who comes here feels that a new and modern city". The project was unanimously approved by the architectural community, but the military authorities could not entrust the construction of the capital's air port to a progressive public figure with communist convictions.

In Rio de Janeiro, the master built the building of the Manchete publishing house (1967); Palace of Justice (1970); hotel "Nacional" (1971); Ministry of Defense and residence of the Vice President of Brazil (1974); Saenz Peña metro station (1979). Brasilia Cathedral - one of the central buildings of the Brazilian capital, was designed in 1958 and completed in 1970. Most of The cathedral is located underground, the ground part is a “funnel” with 16 curved concrete columns. The roof of the cathedral is decorated with stained-glass windows. Arguing that modernism and Brazilian baroque are organically combined in the work of the Brazilian architect, critics usually cite the Metropolitan Cathedral as an example.

In September 1981, the famous architect realized his dream: in the green zone he opened a memorial ensemble dedicated to the initiator of the construction of Brasilia, J. Kubicek. The main element of the complex was a flat parallelepiped with beveled edges, which housed the memorial library and auditorium.

Memorial Ensemble of J. Kubicek

Objects created brilliant architect expressiveness, warmth and plasticity are inherent. Projects craftsmen are always carefully designed, down to the smallest detail, constructively and functionally. He is constantly striving for improvement. architectural form- to the contrast of volumes, to the dynamism of the texture of surfaces, to the inclusion of works of related art in the canvas of the architectural composition.

In 1985, when the era of military dictatorship in Brazil ended, Oscar Niemeyer returned to his homeland, leading the Brazilian Communist Party (1992-1996).

Homecoming, the last years of creativity

In 1989, a museum was opened in the state of São Paulo - Memorial of Latin America(port. Memorial da America Latina), designed by an outstanding architect.

Since 1990 the master is polishing his creative style, which combines the public character of buildings with a bright personality. Basically, the architect designs cultural and memorial structures.

In 1996, at the age of 89 in the city (port. Niterói), a Brazilian architect completed five years of work on the building Museum of Modern Art(port. Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Niteroi; MAC). The appearance of the building, made in the style of "modernism", resembles spaceship. The master explained his idea as follows: “A flying saucer that once flew over the city was so delighted with the beauty of these places that it landed and decided to stay here forever, laying the foundation for the Museum.”

The building of another museum, one of the most unusual in the world, was designed by the famous architect back in 1978 in the city (port. Curitiba), in southern Brazil. But only in 2002 it was decided to open the Museum here contemporary art, architecture and design. However, the inhabitants of Brazil call the original building “Museu do Olho” - “Museum of the Eye”, since one of the buildings of the grandiose complex resembles a giant shiny eye, which you can look at endlessly. When looking at the "Eye" from the front, it seems as if the people moving on the white bridge are drops of water slowly flowing up and down.

This masterpiece of mirror glass and snow-white concrete, consisting of a 3-story dome with a diameter of 50 m, was renamed in 2003 in honor of the great, 96-year-old author of the project (port. "Museu Oscar Niemeyer"). Today, this Museum is deservedly considered a symbol of Curitiba.

Eye Museum (Curitiba)

In the 2000s, according to the designs of Oscar Niemeyer, the following were built: the auditorium "Ibirapuera" in São Paulo (2002); National Museum in Brilla and Cultural Center "Oscar Niemeyer" in (port. Goiânia) - 2006; building "Cabo Branco" in (port. João Pessoa) - 2008. In 2011, in the city of Aviles (Spanish: Aviles, España), the International Cultural Center was opened, named after the author of the project (Spanish: Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer).

For a huge contribution to the development of Russian-Brazilian relations, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the outstanding architect, Vladimir Putin signed a Decree on awarding him the Order of Friendship.

December 5, 2012, just 10 days before his 105th birthday, in his native Rio de Janeiro greatest Master architecture of all times and peoples died.

Master of architecture of all times and peoples

• In my memories Brazilian architect wrote that he was to be called Oscar Ribeiro (mother's surname) Soares (father's surname). However, the father, who lived and was brought up in his uncle's house, added his surname Niemeyer as a sign of respect to his family name.
• In the 1970s became interested in designing furniture: his sofas with springy "legs" and leather armchairs, most often made in collaboration with his daughter Ana-Maria, an artist-decorator, were often exhibited both in Brazil and abroad.
• One of the main creations of the architect, " perfect city» Brasilia, which appeared in 1960 as a result of bold engineering and social experiment, thanks to the talent and obsession of three prominent people, as well as the hard work and perseverance of 60 thousand of their compatriots, after only 27 years from the moment of its birth, it was proclaimed by UNESCO a World Heritage Site of mankind, standing on a par with such legends as Rome, Athens, St. Petersburg and Samarkand.

Some sayings of the great architect