Brazil’s modern architectural visionary Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) imagined buildings with curvaceous, almost sensual forms that channeled his love of the female form. He famously wrote: “My work is not about ‘form follows function,’ but ‘form follows beauty’ or, even better, ‘form follows feminine.’” He also said he found inspiration in the curves in the mountains of his native country, as well as “in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean”—the latter within eyesight of his main studio near Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Music is also a potent metaphor for Niemeyer’s pioneering work with concrete: it was said that the songs of bossa nova legend Tom Jobim were like a house built by Niemeyer.

Over the course of his legendary career, Niemeyer apprenticed and later collaborated with Brazilian architect and urban planner Lúcio Costa to develop the 196os planned city and capital of Brasília, sparred with Le Corbusier, whose work majorly influenced him, over the New York headquarters of the United Nations, and won the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1988, just a few years after he returned to Brazil for the first time since he left for Paris in the mid-’60s due to the country’s military coup and his involvement with the Brazilian Communist Party.

Niemeyer brought his own grace and vision to the International Style, and did more than any other designer to bring the precepts of International Style to South America. He was considered the last of modernism’s “true believers,” with a career that spanned seven decades and continued until the very end of his 104 years. Below, we highlight a few monumental designs from the Brazilian modernist’s expansive oeuvre.

Pampulha Architectural Complex (1943)

Brazilian National Congress (1964)

Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion (1957)

Cathedral of Brasília (1970)

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (1996)

Mondadori Headquarters (1975)

JK Memorial (1980)

Communist Party Headquarters (1972)

Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí (1983)

The Sambódromo is one of two works designed by Niemeyer once he returned to Brazil in the early ’80s after being exiled in the mid-’60s. The structure hosts the annual Rio Carnival parade and can hold 70,000 revelers. It includes the aptly titled Apotheosis Square, where bleachers are spaced out to create an open space for performances." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Leandro Neumann Ciuffo" photoUserId=""/>

Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center (2011)

Aviles, Spain

Goiás, Brazil) was built after the legendary Brazilian modernist hit the century mark. Subtle, bold flashes of color, and contrasting shapes create a cultural playground and gathering space." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Eduardo Photos" photoUserId=""/>

Top photo by Gil Pinhero

This article was originally published on February 24, 2014. It was updated on December 12, 2024, to include current information.

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