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How do you achieve beauty in architecture? How do you create forms that feel weightless? How does one architect define and shape the architectural identity of a country? The answers to these questions lie in knowing the life of Oscar Neimeyer. Hailed by many as one of the greatest modern architects, this man’s life is as full of ups and downs as the forms he created. This is a man who got to bring to life what very few architects in the world ever got
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a chance to do, and he was made to pay a huge price for it. The story of Oscar Neimeyer is filled with inspiration, with politics, with philiosphy with self introspection, but most importantly with beautiful architecture. This is the story of the last modern architect of the 20th century, this is the story of Oscar Neimeyer. Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho was born in Rio de Janeiro on Dec. 15, 1907. In 1928, at the age of 21, Oscar left school and married Annita Baldo.
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He realized he wanted to study architecture and pursued his passion at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio. And this choice of school was very important because if he hadn’t gone here he probably wouldn’t be the architect we know today. And the reason for that was this man. A year after Oscar joined this school, it got a new director and his name was Lucio Costa. Lucio was a formidable architect in his own right, He is often hailed as the man who first
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introduced the Modern Movement to Brazil. As the director of the school, he set out to change the educational system, to transform what and how students were being taught, and bring it from the classical hangover to the new modern century. However its not easy to change old mindsets, specially as quickly as he wanted. He was ousted from the position, very soon after he joined. But a young Oscar had found the kind of architecture he admired, and in Lucio he had found a mentor.
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In 1932, while still in school, he joined Lucio as an apprentice, and began working with him. Two years later, Lucio was given a very important commission. He was appointed by the country’s Education Minister to design the new headquarters of the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Jeniro. For this project Lucio assembled a group of young architects who were all doing great work at the time. Oscar by this time had graduated and become a full fledged architect and was included
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in this team as well. But even after the whole team was gathered, which by the way included some incredible names, Lucio insisted on one more member, one he knew could shape this project and take it in a brilliant direction, and that was Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier, if anyone of you is living under a rock, was a legendary architect from the 20th century who single handedly gave a new direction to the field of modern architecture.
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At this time he had not still built any building in Latin America so he was eager to join the project. This was in a lot of ways the true time of learning for Oscar. He absorbed Le Corb’s vision of a modern world and just imbibed as much as he could from the master architect. Corbusier consulted on the project and then soon left. And after he did Oscar proposed quite a few changes to Le Corb’s scheme. I know bold move.
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But this new vision and direction impressed Lucio, who allowed Oscar to progressively take charge of the project. The resulting design was a building unlike Latin America had seen before. Shielded from the sun behind rows of elegant baffles, the building had a clean, stripped-down style that made it a sparkling example of classical Modernism. And it was not just a great piece of architecture, it was a declaration to the world that Brazil was a vibrant center of experimentation.
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This building was ofcourse was a big team effort but today it is mostly associated with Oscar more than any other architect. Seems as he took charge of the project, he also starting attracting all the attention to himself. And he wasn’t just making a name for himself with this one project, he was also making new friends. Or should I say new powerful friends. One of these was the mayor of Brazil’s wealthiest State, Juscelino Kubitschek.
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And this introduction, this friendship was what set everything in motion, this is what was going to change Oscar’s career forever. Now the next decade of Oscar’s life was a very busy one. Even though he was a very young architect, opportunities kept coming his way. While the new headquarters of the Ministry of Education and Health was being constructed. Oscar also got involved in more projects. In 1938 he started working on the design of the Brazilian Pavilion for the New York World’s
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Fair, again in collaboration with Lucio Costa. Now world Fairs are a big deal, every 5 years the world comes together and all countries basically show off their technology, culture, food and also architecture. World fairs have always been a playground of sorts for architects. And in this expo in New York, there were a lot of pavilions, but Brazil was catching everyone’s attention. With an open plan, curved and free walls, everyone was singing high praises of the designers.
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The mayor of New York at the time Fiorello La Guardia was so impressed with it, he awarded Oscar the keys to the city of New York. With these early projects, Oscar was showcasing his design prowess to the world. He was slowly getting famous. But maybe fate did not like this slow pace. Because what came next, is a project solidified Oscar Niemeyer as the architect we know today. And this project was Pampulha ensemble. Okay so Remember Juscelino Kubitschek, the mayor of Belo Horizonte.
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You should get familiar with his name because he will come up quite a few times in this documentary. So in 1941, he asked Oscar to design a new complex. He wanted a huge scheme that included a church, a casino, a dance hall, a restaurant, a yacht club, a golf club, and the mayor’s weekend retreat, all situated around an artificial lake. This was a huge commission and Oscar jumped at the opportunity. It was at this project that we really saw Oscar’s design style evolve and mature.
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He was ofcourse very much grounded in the architecture of Le Corbusier, but even though the language was similar, it was as if he had found a new vocabulary. These new set of buildings were free flowing forms gently placed around the artificial lake. Bold sweeping lines, snaking walkways , and curved forms It almost seemed here that Oscar did not want any straight lines or right angles in this project. Each and every building in this complex was consciously worked on to evoke beauty.
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The concrete and glass shell casino, the free form canopy of the dance hall, and ofcourse what is considered a masterpiece here is the Saint Francis of Assisi church. At the time, reinforced concrete was an innovative new material and this allowed him to produce intense curvatures in his forms, so Oscar just played around with these buildings. But However great they may be, these buildings did not all turn out to be a success.
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In just a few years, gambling was outlawed in Brazil and so the Casino had to be converted into an art Museum and the Church which many believed was an architectural masterpiece and was even listed as the first modern building in Brazil, was rejected by the church authorities of the area. It was only in 1959 when they finally agreed and officially consecrated this structure. But regardless of the outcomes of the buildings. The Project got a lot of recognition.
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Completed in 1943, all these buildings were displayed at the 'Brazil Builds' exhibition, at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Imagine this, the young architect had not even been working for a decade, and had already completed so many projects of national importance and international acclaim. Oscar Neimeyer was on his way to becoming a master architect. But what was it that was driving so many opportunities his way, was it just his talent, or skill,
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or just plain, or was it something else entirely? See when you become a well known person, you make some powerful friends. And Oscar did just that. He forged many friendships in the political space. And he himself was a big believer in communism. In the year 1945, he officially joined the Brazilian Communist Party. Around the same time the Brazilian government which had previously imprisoned a lot of people,
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decided to release hundreds of political prisoners, including Communists, as a gesture of good will. Oscar, now a member, turned over the first floor of his Rio office to the communist party for use as the headquarters. As he once said. ‘If we wish to give architecture the human content that it lacks, we must participate in the political struggle.” But here, I want to take a moment here to talk about the stark difference between Oscar’s political ideologies and his architectural philosophies.
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Even the Pampulha ensemble that he was now being known for, had yes established him as a major architectural force. But lets not forget what the project really was a leisure retreat for the Wealthy in a prosperous suburb. Even his later works, all sometimes scream Icon, wealth, class, and it seems to be at odds with his political beliefs of communism. Well Oscar did comment on this aspect, but later in his life. We are getting ahead of ourselves., for now lets come back to year 1947.
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He returned to New York as a member of the International Committee of Architects. And he was given a very important commission. He was put in charge of the development of the U.N. Headquarters with none other than Le Corbusier. The last time they worked together, Oscar was just a draftsman, and Corbusier had come in as a master architect, but this time they were working together, as equals. Supervised by Wallace K. Harrison, the UN design was a collaboration that also included
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international luminaries like the Soviet architect Nikolai D. Bassov and the US architect Max Abramovitz. The final design was a compromise of sorts between Oscar’s concepts and those of his aging idol Le Corbusier. This project is the one that got him more international acclaim than he had been exposed to at the time. He also received the title of Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. But even though he became more famous for his craft, he was also being shunned for his
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political ideologies. Oscar did a lot of work in the following years like the house for Gustavo Capanema, the Edifício Copan , and the Ibirapuera Park. But most of his projects now were limited to South America, and the reason for that was his association with the communist Party. Work and recognition from the US started to dwindle a bit, as we all know the country’s stance on communism. He was once invited to Yale to give a speech and was even appointed dean of the Harvard
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Graduate School of Design, but both times the US government denied him a visa thus preventing him from even entering the country. But Oscar was stern on what he believed in. And so what if he wasn’t not able to go to the US, there was plenty of commissions back home, but maybe perhaps these commissions were a little too many. Now in the 1950s, Oscars was doing a lot of work back home. Project after Project he was experimenting, and perfecting his craft.
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Among them were a weekend house for his father, in Mendes , the Prudente de Morais Neto house, in Rio , the Leonel Miranda house, and many more. However, his own residence is probably the most beautifiul house he created. Located on a sloped terrain overlooking the ocean, this beautiful house is topped with a free flowing roof which is supported with thin slender columns. The design beautifully takaes advantage of its terrain and compliments the nature around it.
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Called the Das Canoas House it is considered one of the most significant examples of modern architecture in Brazil. But ofocurse not everyone liked the design. Walter Gropius for one was not that pleased and once told Oscar the house could not be mass-produced. Gropius if you are not familiar with his work, is remembered for championing architectural mass production techniques. Oscar responded that the house was designed with himself in mind and for that particular site, not a general flat one.
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And to be honest to me it doesn’t sound like the diss Walter Gropius might have intended, to me the fact that a house is unique to the site and cant be mass produced sounds like a big compliment. But hey I am not a master architect. Anyway in the following years came a huge wave of criticism for modern Brazilian Architecture. Max Bill the swiss architect, attacked Oscar’s use of free-form as purely decorative.
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He went on to say that his use of mural panels and the individualistic character of his architecture was and I am quoting " in risk of falling in a dangerous anti-social academicism". I have no idea what that even means. Well Oscar initially denied and rejected the criticism and even attacked back. But the truth is, the criticism wasn’t all wrong. And the evidence for that is found in the The Califórnia Building in São Paulo.
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The building which usually lied neglected, was created using the famous V piloti. Oscar had used this in multiple projects and it worked well for them, but here this building did not need it. It actually created more problems in resolving the structure. It was as if Oscar was now just superimposing his ideas, not giving the project the thought that it needed. And its not just me saying this. He too realized it. His architecture was getting sloppy.
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In 1957, the Interbau exhibition took place in Berlin, and Oscar got a chance to build there. It was his first time visiting Europe. Here he went on to travel and got in touch with the monuments of the world gone by. And as they have done for countless people, Oscar found himself suddenly touched by something greater. It made him look back at his own work, and also at the work of other Brazilian architects at the time, some of whom he found untalented.
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He knew the architecture of Brazil was going downhill. When he came back he published an article in his Modulo Magazine and titled it Depoimento, which means manifesto. In this article, he accepted that he had been taking too many jobs and executing them in a hurry. He criticized some of his own work and pointed out that perhaps he should not have designed them the way he did. He vowed to get back to the basics, to get back to making the architecture that he truly would be proud of.
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He proposed a simplification, discarding multiple elements such as brises, sculptural piloti and marquees. His architecture from then on would be a pure expression of structure as a representation of solid volumes. His design method would also change, prioritizing aesthetic impact over programmatic functions. It is best summarized in a quote by him. "when form creates beauty, it has in beauty itself its justification". You don’t see many architects doing this.
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Forget architects, very few people have the courage to speak out against their own work and point out their mistakes. And Oscar was Brave enough to do that. But this wasn’t just a man penning down his philosophies of architecture, just for the world to know and be aware of. Oscar was at this time embarking on the biggest project till date, one that would change not only his career, but also the world of Modern Architecture.
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The reason for this change of directions, in his own words was political. You remember the mayor Juscelino Kubitschek. Well it was now 1956, and he had been elected president of Brazil. Now he had an ambitious plan, a new capital city for Brazil. And he knew just the architect for it. He asked Oscar to take up this project, to create a brand new city, to give Brazil a new identity, and Oscar agreed, he set out to design a project that not only changed
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his fate, but that of his country and also of modern architecture as a movement, this was the beginning of something fantastic. It all started with Brasilia. Building a new capital city, a new identity for a country, I mean how many people even get that opportunity? Now Oscar agreed to design the buildings, but he suggested a national competition to be held for the masterplan of the city, and guess who won that competition Lucio Costa, Oscar’s old mentor.
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So Lucio would design the layout of city and Oscar would design the main buildings. So Luico came up with the design layout of this new capital. I remember studying this in detail when I was in architecture school. My teacher use to fan girl over this layout. The thing about Brasilia was, that it was developed on socialist principles, and this masterplan reflected that. The city had a cross-shaped design, with repetitive rows of housing set around a formal administrative center.
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in Brasília all the apartments would be owned by the government and rented to employees. It did not have "nobler" regions, meaning that top ministers and common laborers would share the same building. Now while the main layout and sectors were all designed by Lucio, it was Oscar who got to design the main administrative buildings, the sculptural identity of Brasilia. Among these were the President’s Palace, the Brasília Palace Hotel, the Ministry of
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Justice building, the presidential chapel, and the cathedral. Remember that around this time, Oscar had published his Depoimento. His change in design thinking is evident in the buildings of Brasilia. Oscar knew that he continued all his life to design for the wealthy, his designs had become synonymous with Luxury, and that was now making him uncomfortable. He knew his practice and the profession in general was limited.
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This self assessment and deep thought about the state of the profession, led him to simplify the relationship between form, programme and structure. The palaces of Brasília are evidence of this new phase. These crisp, abstract forms with strong lines were almost an announcement to the world. Not just that Brazil was entering a new era, but also that modern architecture and the faith in technological progress that it embodied could help create a more free and equal society for all.
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The entire complex suggests a world in perfect harmony. Even if that was not necessarily the case. The designs for many buildings in Brasilia occupied much of his time for many years. But this city was created at an amazing speed. In just four years time Brasilia was ready. This new utopian dream of a world in perfect harmony, created in such a short amount of time, was an announcement to the world. A new era was here. But maybe the idea was a little too optimistic, or was it just naïve.
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Even though it started out great, the socialist ideals that the city was based on, were either dropped or changed under succeeding presidents. And Oscar did face criticism, particularly for his design of Brasilia’s architecture. Many people pointed out that there was a sharp contrast between the city and surrounding regions, which were plagued by poverty. Also reports of residents were coming in, the city was considered messy and difficult to live in.
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The deserted vast open spaces, populated by these monumental architectural pieces, started to become a causionary tale. The 20th century was filled with ideas of utopian cities, and very few like Brasilia ever came to life. And I’ll just say this, a utopia doesn’t exist. But regardeless of how it turned out or how much it was being criticized. Oscar still received international acclaim. This was his greatest achievement.
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After its completion, Oscar was named chief of the college of architecture of the University of Brasília. In 1963, he became an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects in the United States; the same year, he received the Lenin Peace Prize from the USSR. In 1987, Brasilia was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And Oscar was the first person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime. Brasilia was being celebrated, and so was Oscar.
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It was a win for Brazil, but also a win for modern architecture. But this glory was very very short lived. In 1961, a new election’s results were out, Brazil now had a new President. Evrything was going well. 3 years later in 1964, Oscar was invited by Abba Hushi, the mayor of Haifa, Israel, to plan the campus of the University of Haifa on Mount Carmel. He went there, but when he returned he came back to a completely different Brazil. On March 31, 1964 A military Coup was staged.
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The President was deposed and General Castelo Branco assumed command of the country. Brazil was now a very different country under military rule. In the days after the coup, thousands of arrests were made, affecting the leaders of important unions. Now remember Oscar was not just a famous architect, he was an important and integral member of the communist party. The new regime repeatedly questioned him about his Communist associations.
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Although he was never imprisoned, all his commissions from Brazil were now going away. Oscar had no choice, he had no work left in Brazil and this was not his country, not the one he lived in and not the one he helped build. There was only one thing he could do, and so, Oscar finally decided to leave Brazil. After leaving the country he landed in France, where he found refuge. He opened an office here and found customers in diverse countries.
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Even though he was shunned from his own country, Oscar was already a famous architect. So getting work was not that difficult. In Algeria, he designed the University of Science and Technology-Houari Boumediene, and in Italy the Mondadori publishing company. But ofocurse one of his most important commissions at the time was the headquarters of the French Communist party in Paris. His design was an undulating six-story building draped in glass curtain walls.
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The softly curved modernist monument seems to reference a flag blowing in the wind. In front of it, was a submerged dome which enclosed a spectacular chamber for the party’s Central Committee meetings. And btw As a political statement, he chose to take on this particular project at no charge. I just want to take a pause to stress the impact of politics on his life. He became who he become because of his associations, he was forced to leave because of his associations
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and he even found a new home and more work again because of his associations. Now even though he was getting work from all over the world, the winds had started to change. Modernism was by then falling out of favor with the architectural establishment. Brasília soon became a symbol of Modernism’s failure to deliver on its utopian promises. surrounded by slums, the monumental government buildings of its center illustrated Brazil’s deeply rooted social inequalities.
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Much later in 2005, Oscar did address this criticism saying You may not like Brasília,” “but you can’t say you have seen anything like it — you maybe saw something better, but not the same. I prefer Rio, even with the robberies. What can you do?” “But people who live in Brasília, to my surprise, don’t want to leave it. Brasília works. There are problems. But it works. And from my perspective, the ultimate task of the architect is to dream. Otherwise nothing happens.”
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So he was still very proud of what he had achieved, but I am sure on some level, he did see the shortcomings of it too. Anyway in the late 70s, new architectural styles started coming in and work was a little slower for Oscar, but nevertheless it was steady. He was thriving and designing, even when he was cut off from his roots. But Oscar used to carry Brazil in his heart. So these years I am sure would have been difficult for him.
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But it wasn’t like he had no ties back home, From 1968 he lectured at the University of Rio de Janeiro and even designed the Ministry of Defense building in Brasília, but ofcourse majority of his work now lay outside of Brazil. But there is one thing about life you learn, whether things are good or bad, they all come to an end. And so did this exile. Finally in the 80s, the political tensions in Brazil was dying down, the military agreed to step down and bring back democracy in the country.
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Oscar, after spending almost two decades away, finally got to go back home. When he came back Oscar quickly started working on some new projects like the the Memorial Juscelino Kubitschek , the Pantheon and the Latin America Memorial . These projects of his were highly criticized though. According to critics his work was nowhere even near the beauty he had achieved in his Brasilia days. Speaking of Brasilia, In the mid-1980s he began rethinking and renovating some of his
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former designs in the city. He changed the shape of the exterior arches on the Ministry of Justice building and replaced the windows of the cathedral with stained-glass panels. Now even though he was facing criticism, no one questioned his body of work that had not only changed, evolved but also elevated modern architecture. To honor his work, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988, at the age of 81. He won it along with Godron Bunshaft.
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And it was the first time a Pritzker was being shared by two people. The jury announcement stated "Both men represent the philosophy of modernism that has given form to the singular resources of the twentieth century. A great debt is owed to these two men by their fellow architects as well as 'the public they serve. In awarding this prize for lifetimes of achievement, we gratefully acknowledge that debt." Now most people in most professions usually step back from work when they turn 80 but
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architects just function differently, they seem to want to keep working right until they can no longer hold a pencil, and even beyond that if possible, and Oscar was no different. He kept taking on new commssions and kept working. And not just in the architectural real, he kept working in the political realm as well. From 1992 to 1996, Oscar also became the president of the Brazilian Communist Party. Now remember how people had started criticizing his work and modernism in general.
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Now One thing you realize by studying architecture, is that moods, styles, and opinions keep shifting every few decades. Oscar lived long enough to see his international reputation recover and flourish. A growing number of people had begun to re-examine the legacy of postwar Modernism and appreciate his purist vision as a throwback to a more optimistic time. And during this time came the commission that showed that Oscar was still a living legend,
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and that was the Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum. This museum which opened in 1996, was celebrated for its bold saucer-shaped form, which hovered on a cliffside overlooking Guanabara Bay. This building which is one of the most instantly recognizable build in the world put all his critics in their place. And the man, almost 90 didn’t just stop there. The Oscar Neimeyer museum in 2002, the Serpentine gallery in 2003, the Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer
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Ravello in 2010 and the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre in 2011. At the time, he was a living legend. At the age of 104 he was the last active modern architect. The man kept working, even when he when his health could not support his work anymore. After reaching 100, Oscar was regularly hospitalized. But he just kept going. the man’s will to live and to work was much stronger that anything life could throw at him. In 2004 he lost his wife, but he did re marry in 2006.
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But In 2012, the man lost his daughter, his only child, I think that year broke him. she was 82 at the time. Now even though they were both old, it is still very very difficult for a parent to see their child pass on before them. And maybe this was what finally broke him. 6 months after she passed, on December 5, 2012, Oscar was hospitalized once again in Rio. And it was in there, where he took his final breath.
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Over a career of 78 years, with so many ups and downs and constant criticism, Oscar nearly worked on 600 projects. He left behind not just beautiful buildings, but also his teaching and philosophies frozen and concretized in each of his structures. The man loved architecture, and whether you liked what he created or not, he intensely believed in it. Even in his final days, he was still giving direction to employees about ongoing projects from his hospital bed in Rio.
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Oscar neimeyer was one of the biggest modernists the world has known. And even though he passed on, his legacy, and more importantly his work, he beauty that he always strived for, still lives on.
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